Good As Gold
by JessieBearxo
Summary: Allie had always been the bold figure in her family, and she would never back down from a fight. That was until war erupted between her family and her friends. Her alliances are scattered across their battle field, and she doesn't know she can trust. But when some prove to be more loyal than others, does she still want to choose one side? Can she choose one side? Should she?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One. Sticks And Stones.

* * *

It was times like this that she wondered if he ever thought about them. If he ever felt regret for leaving them the way he did. If he ever felt regret for leaving them at all. In times like this – when her sons were playing with their racecars on the carpet floor, their dinner cooking in the oven, and the fire roaring in the living room – she thought about him. She didn't miss him in the slightest; she missed the family that they had for a week.

It took him seven days to decide it wouldn't work out. Seven days after his sons entered the world he decided to abandon them. Seven days after the sixteen-year-old girlfriend he claimed to love brought said sons into the world he decided to abandon her. Abandon _them_. But she didn't care. She didn't need him.

Sometimes she wished she had never met him at all – though she was ultimately glad she had. Otherwise Mason and Finn wouldn't exist. Otherwise her and her family's bond wouldn't be as strong as it was. Otherwise she would have never grown out of her rebellious teenage phase, and wouldn't be the independent and strong young woman that she was. She was glad that she had met Jared. She was glad that Jared was a coward and had left them.

She was glad that she was a single Mom to two loveable twin toddlers.

Sure, having Jared around would have been easier on their money situation – but they could and _would_ live off her waitress paycheck for the rest of their lives before she would ask to live off his drug money. She would _not_ raise her boys off the profits of selling crack on a street corner. She wouldn't go back to Jared even if he had made a million dollars, and wanted them to go live in a mansion with him. They were fine in their two bedroom, one bathroom, tiny house in Austin. They were perfectly fine.

"So how are they feeling?" she asked into the cellphone, watching as Mason pummeled a racecar into the ground with sound effects, and Finn rammed two of them into each other with an explosive noise escaping his four year old lips. She wrapped her arms around her exposed legs, and ran a hand through her dark brown curly hair. Her stepmother sighed on the other line, and Allie struggled to make out her voice through the buzz of the Superstars in the backstage area.

"They're doing as good as they can, I suppose. Cody tried to break into Hunter's office before, and Dustin… well, your brothers are lucky to be in the building at this point," Judith Rhodes told Allie with another sigh, running a hand through her greying hair in frustration. She answered her stepdaughter's next question before it was even spoken. "And your Dad is doing okay. One of the crewmembers came into our dressing room earlier and told us that we were going to be the first segment. Apparently your Father and brothers jobs are going to be the hot topic of tonight."

"And how are you, Momma?" she asked, pressing her palm to her forehead to stop the nervous pounding. Her sons faces perked when they learned whom she was speaking to, and they crawled to their Mother's side in unison. Judith didn't even hesitate when Allie called her 'Momma'. She had raised the twenty year old since she was three years old. She had guided her through her pregnancy, and forced the disappointment from her own body. She had made her son and her husband understand. She was thankful that Dustin was supportive and understanding of Allie almost immediately.

And now she couldn't be prouder of her baby girl, and her baby girl's baby boys.

"I'm just fine, sweetheart. The boys have been taking quite good care of me, actually. I suppose it takes their mind off the situation that we're in," Judith replied, lightly chuckling. She was on her way back to their dressing room now, straightening her button up jacket as she walked. "But enough about us, how are you three going? How are my darling Grandsons?"

"They're doing great, Momma. They miss you like crazy," Allie informed her with a smile, grinning at her sons giggling from her sides. Finn extended a hand in silent request, and she nodded at him in amusement. "In fact, I think they want to talk to you. I love you, okay? It's going to be fine. The Rhodes boys are the best in the business, they could never fire them."

"Too right you are, honey. And I love you too," Judith said, unable to hide the uncertainty in her tone. The McMahon family had been attacking theirs for weeks. They most certainly _could_ fire them. She pushed all thoughts aside, however, when her grandsons picked up the phone. "Is that my Mason? Is that my Finny? How are my darling boys?"

"Hi Grandma – we have so much to tell you," the toddlers cheered together, quickly shaking off the sleepiness in their bodies and launching into a story about what happened at kindergarten that day. Allie grinned a genuine grin this time, laughing to herself as she left her babies in the lounge to tell her Mother about the antics of the duo, and how they infuriated their teacher with face paint, stickers, and glue.

She entered the delicious smelling and small kitchen quietly, sneaking a look at the rising chicken pie, and smirking triumphantly. Silent nights in their house were rare. At this time her boys were usually just emerging from their bedroom after a bath in their Superhero pajamas, Allie was usually pulling their dinner from the oven or stove top, and the stereo was usually on full blast. If it was Monday's or Friday's the television was usually on full blast, broadcasting their favorite wrestling show as they screamed at her WWE friends to win their matches.

Most people thought quiet was peaceful. Allie had grown up in a wrestling family – and growing up in a wrestling family meant little silence, and that quiet was rare. Quiet meant something was wrong. There _was_ something wrong in the quiet that filled Allie's house. The silence was unnerving, and the pre-Raw advertisements were pulling her closer and closer to the edge.

Their quick and loud goodbye to their Grandmother alerted Allie that they would be bolting into the room in moments, so she continued with her dazedly halted serving of their meal.

"Momma – Grandpa and Uncle Cody and Uncle Dustin are coming on the TV soon!" Mason exclaimed, pronouncing his c's as t's in a way that her brother's name sounded more like 'Toady' than 'Cody'. Allie raised her eyebrows in 'surprise' and let out a gasp. He grinned a missing-toothed smile at her, and puffed his chest out proudly.

"And Grandma said that they were the first on – so that means they're the most important, right Momma?" Finn asked, his toddler lisp slightly thicker than his brother's. Allie nodded at her boys, whose eyes quickly went wide when they saw what was on Mason's Batman dinner plate and Finn's Superman dinner plate. They grasped at their favorite meal eagerly – being part of the many that loved her cooking. Mason pressed a kiss to his Mother's cheek, letting Finn say their thank-you's as he darted out of the room. "Thanks Momma – now come on! I want to see Grandpa!"

She loved the excitement that glimmered in the bright green eyes they'd inherited from her. It reminded her of how excited _she_ used to get. She could tell by twinkle in the green that they both wanted to be wrestlers – just as she had wanted to be. Just as she _still_ wanted to be. Not like that was going to happen, though. Even if she didn't have two four-year-olds that relied on her for everything, she was too young to be on the main roster. Most of the Divas were in their mid-twenties before they caught their big storyline and three second title-reign.

"Momma – quickly! It's starting!" Mason squealed, pulling his brother onto the couch as they mirrored the cross-legged CM Punk sit. Allie loved how they imitated all of her WWE buddies. _They _loved how they imitated them. Even the tough guys like Punk thought that it was the more adorable thing in the world – though they hadn't seen them in almost six months. Mason had gotten better with his reciting each of their entrance music. Finn had gotten better at mouthing Jillian Garcia's introductions of them – weights and all – for almost a third of the roster. Despite their skills in other areas, though, they would be Superstars. Allie could feel it in her bones. "Momma hurry!"

"Okay, okay you little rascals I'm coming. Scoot over," she instructed, laughing at their attempt to crawl to the far side of the two-cushioned sofa, and how they quickly figured out that it would not be a possibility, and snuggled close to their Mother as she collapsed in between them.

She knew how awkward this was going to be. Her left arm was cuddling Mason, leaving the other to instruct the attached wrist to scoop the continents of her home made chicken pie out of the pastry – but unfortunately that was not going to happen, as the other was wrapped around Finn. She thanked God every day for giving her two beautiful, healthy, happy baby boys. She only wished that He had designed human beings to have more arms.

"Is Grandpa going to kick Triple H's butt?" Mason asked, a slight bitterness in his four-year-old lisp. Normally Allie wouldn't condone these sorts of statements – but it wasn't like telling him off would do much good. Whenever the family was gathered in her Mother and Father's home as of late they had been bad-mouthing the McMahon family and their associated members relentlessly. The twins had learned to hate them. Hating them had become easy for the twins. Hating them had become easy for Allie, too.

"I think they're just going to talk to each other tonight, baby. And besides, we don't _want _them to fight each other – we want Uncle Cody and Uncle Dustin to get their jobs back, don't we?" she asked them rhetorically, but they hesitated for a moment before answering with a nod. Mason scowled slightly, and she pressed a quick kiss to his temple. His mask broke into an adoring smile, and Finn released a giggle when his Mother kissed him too. "But between you boys and me, I want Grandpa to kick his butt too."

"You do?" Finn gasped, looking at her with wide eyes. She nodded at him with her own grin, and chuckled. Of course she did. He had essentially attempted to ruin Cody's wedding by firing him the week of said wedding. He had broken Dustin's heart and spit on his legacy when he fired him in the middle of the ring. He had tried to make her Father _choose _between his sons at who deserved their job back more.

And Stephanie McMahon had made it all worse by her bitchy words and snarky comments. Allie had almost flown down the very next day and given her a piece of her mind. Her Dad hadn't let her, of course. Her family knew that she had wanted to work in the WWE her entire life. Just because they didn't have their jobs _didn't_ mean they were going to let her throw away the one she wanted.

Allison Rhodes had worked her entire life to become a WWE Diva. She had started watching old wrestling tapes almost as soon as she had re-entered her Father's life at three years old. She had watched every Raw, every Smackdown, and every Pay-per-view since she was three years old. She was nine when she decided what she wanted to do for the rest of her life, and from that small age she had trained in the ring. She had even taken up extra-curricular activities such as dancing, swimming and gymnastics – all things she thought were incredibly girly – to become more flexible and give her more moves to work with in the ring. Even when she met Jared and pulled out of almost every social and academic thing she did, she continued with her wrestling.

Mason and Finn coming into the world didn't stop that. She had scheduled her entire life around her boys and wrestling. Her days – weekends included – consisted of four thirty am wake up to get to the gym for wrestling training at five, an eight o'clock start for a nine hour shift at the diner, another hour training at the gym until six o'clock, and then quality time with her babies until eight o'clock and they had to go to bed. She had dreamed all her life of becoming a Diva – though that profession was essentially thrown out the window when Mason and Finn came into the world.

Her dream held strong in her mind – though it was ultimately put-off due to her never-ending responsibilities and commitments.

She was jealous of her brothers. They had not trained as hard as she did – they had trained hard, just not _as _hard – and they had the jobs that they had spent their lives wanting, while she was stuck in Austin, Texas, waiting tables for truckers passing through. Truckers that smacked her on the ass even in the early morning. She dreaded when she was asked to take a night shift, because that was when the diner was turned into a bar – and dreading it because that meant she wouldn't get to see her boys for the night, as they stayed with her Dad.

"Why does Triple H not like us, Momma?" Finn asked suddenly, pulling her from her thoughts. He looked up at her with expecting eyes, ones that were far too aware for a four-year-old. Allie sometimes worried that they were growing up too fast – though Dustin always told her that she was just being ridiculous. She tried to believe him, though their questions made her worry that they understood everything that was going on.

"Triple H doesn't _hate_ us, baby. He hates how good we are at wrestling," she explained, unwrapping her hands from around them to take her first bite of the chickeny-goodness that had previously swam in a rather creamy sauce. It was probably good that she wasn't a Diva – she liked food too much to be what Vince McMahon considered 'Diva material'. She wasn't a bleached-blonde, size zero, untalented, fake-tanned ditz. She was a suntanned, healthy size four bottle-brunette, who had a large natural bust Nikki Bella would be envious of, a tattoo on her wrist, that had perfected the art of wrestling. She was no Kelly Kelly. She was no Summer Rae – though in reality not being either of them didn't bother her. She preferred being known as strong and independent, rather than someone that was only employed for being eye-candy.

"So he hates you, then? Because you're good at wrestling?" Mason asked her innocently, furrowing his little eyebrows at the chuckle his Mother released. They had seen their Mother wrestle many times. They had seen their Mother beat both their Uncles to the ground in two swift movements. In their mind she was what their 'Uncle' Phil claimed to be: The Best In The World.

"Thank you for saying that, baby, but Triple H doesn't hate _any_ of us. He doesn't even know we exist," she informed him, grabbing his half-empty plate and stacking it on top of her full one before setting it onto the coffee table and wrapping a blanket around them. She pulled her boys onto her lap, grinning at the warmth her sons provided when they snuggled close to her chest. Mason and Finn would most likely fall asleep here. Allie would most likely fall asleep here, too. The screen turned from a Doritos add to Raw, and their excited smiles quickly turned sour when they saw the man standing in the middle of the ring.

Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. The sea of boos made Allie's mood lighten a little. A _little_.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Monday Night Raw. My name is Triple H, the leader of the Authority and the COO of the WWE. And to my left is my _beautiful_ wife Stephanie McMahon," Hunter began; grinning at his spouse smugly at the heat they gained with their entrance. The youngest members of the Rhodes family glared at television, and Allie wrapped an arm around her sons comfortingly – in attempt to not only calm them, but to calm herself. Hunter handed the logo-imprinted microphone to Stephanie with a wink.

"We are here tonight to address the unfavorable actions of the Rhodes family that occurred last week. We are here tonight because all of you seem to be under the impression that Cody and Dustin Rhodes deserve their jobs back, and that Dusty Rhodes should be able to watch his sons walk back into the business they have been hell-bent on destroying," Stephanie informed the audience in her annoying and nasally voice, ignoring the 'What?' chants the fans were uniting together to shout. Allie's glare of hatred deepened at her words. "We are here tonight to show you _why_ the Rhodes family don't deserve their jobs back, and to make you see how merciful we are in letting them be here tonight. If you cast your eyes to the Titantron, you will see a clip of what the Rhodes family did to my husband and I last week on Raw. Roll the clip."

Per her request the large screen flickered on, showing a composition of small parts of footage from the past few weeks. Cody losing his match against Randy Orton, Dustin losing his match against Randy Orton, Stephanie telling Dustin he was a disappointment – much to Allie's disgust and anger – and that he had failed his brother, and Dusty Rhodes putting his hand in the face of Stephanie McMahon to silence her. Allie had told her Father afterwards that that was possibly the dumbest thing he could have done. It had taken an hour for him to admit he was wrong. He never apologized for it, but he admitted to Allie he was wrong. But then again, Allie had never asked him to apologize. In fact, she didn't want him to.

"You see that? You see _that_ – that is what you're cheering for? You're cheering for a bunch of losers?" Triple H shouted into the microphones, attempting to bellow over the deafening Rhodes chants. _Failing_ to bellow over the deafening Rhodes chants. Allie smiled at their loyalty. She loved her family's fans despite the fact that they didn't know the full extent of said family. "You're cheering for a bunch of people that–"

His words were cut off by the familiar theme music of Cody Rhodes, and the uncontrollable screams of approvable from the audience. Triple H glared at each shrieking or cheering fan, before turning his glare to the emerging Dusty Rhodes, who was trailed by his two unimpressed sons. All three of them wore suits, and Allie could tell by Dustin's expression that he was feeling practically naked without his face paint on. She felt uneasy when her Dad grabbed the microphone from Cody's hand, and spoke into it in his thick and husky accent.

"Who are you calling _losers_, son? Me and my boys ain't no losers – we could beat you any day, any time," Dusty informed him, somewhat waddling his way down the steel ramp. Allie sat up and pulled Mason onto her lap. Cody wore a grim expression. Dustin just looked pissed off. They exchanging a nervous look as their Father moved to climb through the ropes, though quickly followed him. When he got into Hunter's face immediately, however, they acted on their wariness. They moved to pull him backwards, though he shrugged them off without a second glance. "You think this is a game, boy? You try split me and my boys up by making me choose one of them to keep their jobs? How about we have one more match to test who is worthy? Me and my boys against whatever scum bags you surround yourself with. If we win my boys are on your payroll – unless you're afraid of us winning. Are you afraid of us, boy?"

"Afraid? Afraid of what – a sixty eight year old fat guy, his equally fat son, and his slightly skinnier other son? You are in no position to be making threats or calling for matches, old man. Your sons have fought for their jobs already – and they _lost_. They don't deserve another chance," Triple H stated, turning on his heel to turn his back to Dusty as Allie's Father lunged for him. Hunter smiled as Cody yanked his Dad backwards, and Dustin stood in the space Dusty was still attempting to jump towards. "That's right, old man, let your sons hold you back. You couldn't beat me even if you were blindfolded."

"Don't you disrespect _me_ boy. I am a legend. I _shaped_ the WWE with me and my boys' legacies," Dusty shouted into the microphone, his lips covered in spit. Mason whimpered and Finn jammed his thumb into his mouth, and Allie tightened her hold around them and gave them a reassuring smile. The smile didn't meet her eyes. She didn't know where her Father was going with this. At the rate he was going they were more likely to be taken from the building, rather than a triple-threat-match for their jobs. "You God damn son of a–"

"Are you forgetting who you're talking to, Dusty? My husband is the COO of this _entire _company. We don't have to give you anything, let alone _another _match for your sons jobs back. We don't have to give you any favors because you _used_ to work for this company. You are no longer an asset to this company. You don't bring anything but ungrateful sons to the business my _Father_ worked so hard to create," Stephanie McMahon interrupted, glaring at Dusty viciously. In many ways she was worse than her husband. She was crueler, and meaner, and more manipulative. Dusty looked to Cody in anger, not noticing the suddenly softened expression of Stephanie until her next words came from her lip-gloss lathered lips. "But you could bring grateful a grateful _daughter_."

Stephanie handed her microphone to Triple H as Allie gasped slightly. Triple H smirked, and leaned close to Dusty as he spoke his next words. The entire Rhodes family had stiffened. Judith by the monitor in their dressing room. Allie, Finn and Mason in their living room. The Rhodes men in the ring. All of them were hardly breathing.

"For some reason, old man, you seem to produce talented children to multiple Mothers – your sons included. Because of the talent your children have, and the money that they could bring to our company, we have decided to give your sons one more chance at getting their jobs back. Their fate lies in the hand of a Divas match. We have already chosen our Diva to compete, and because we are so merciful, we have chosen yours as well. Does the name _Allie_ ring a bell?" Hunter asked, raising one bushy eyebrow up his wrinkled forehead.

Cody had tensed when he said her name. Dustin had balled his hands into fists. Allie was not someone that would be talked about by WWE officials. She wasn't known by anyone in the WWE other than her Superstars she had befriended in her youth – and there were few of those. Her name should _not _be known. She hadn't been to a show since she was… eleven? Twelve. It had been almost eight years, and he knew her name?

Triple H smiled once more. Cody almost punched him.

"Ah, I can see you know exactly who I'm talking about by the dumbfounded expressions on your faces. For those in the audience that don't know who Allie is, I will explain," Triple H began, crossing one foot in front of the other and folding his arms, holding the microphone to his lips. "Allie – real name Allison – is the youngest daughter of Dusty Rhodes, and is the half sister to Dustin and Cody Rhodes. Following in her Dad's reproductive footsteps, Allie became a teenage Mother at sixteen, and gave up her wrestling dream to look after her two twin sons. How sweet," the sarcasm was evident in his tone. He stepped forward, walking to stand almost nose-to-nose with the shocked Dusty Rhodes. "You want your sons to get their jobs back? How about I make the deal a little _sweeter_? If your daughter can win a match against my chosen Diva on Friday Night Smackdown then Cody and Dusty will get their jobs back – and _she_ will get her own job in the WWE. How does that sound, old man? Allie be up for it."

"Yeah," she whispered, knowing that they couldn't hear her. Cody and Dustin nodded vigorously – sensing Allie's words. They knew that her dreams had never died. They'd just been put on hold. Mason moved off her and crawled onto the floor and Finn followed him, both crouching in front of the television in confusion. Her heart pounded as her Father hesitated to accept, speaking only when his sons murmured in his ear.

"We _accept_," Dusty replied, glaring at the hand Triple H extended. The crowd had a mixed response to his words. Some cheered because the brothers were getting another chance. Others booed, thinking that his daughter would have no talent, and would ruin everything. Michael Cole only stopped his outraged shouting when Dusty spoke once more. "But be careful, boy, my baby girl is stronger than she looks. She'll beat your Diva without breaking a sweat."

"I'll believe that when I see it," Triple H countered, and walked out of the ring with Stephanie in tow. Cody and Dustin exchanged knowing smiles, and patted their Dad on the back. Allie's phone would be blaring up as soon as they got through the curtain with their phone calls. Her phone had already chimed. Mason looked to his Mother in confusion. Finn bit his lip in a very Allie-like way.

"Guess what, boys? We're going to see Uncle Cody, Uncle Dustin and Grandpa!" Allie told them, laughing as he ran to her with a squeal of delight. It was hard to contain her own excitement. She had _always_ wanted to be a Diva – and getting her brothers jobs back was the best way to become one. By helping them.

Doubt quickly crept into her mind, however, even though deep down she knew she could win against whatever Diva they put in front of her. She didn't admit her strengths to anyone, but she knew she was a good wrestler. After all, she had never lost a match in her life – even when she was fighting Dustin or Cody. It was hard to not realize that you were talented when you could beat two people actually in the profession.

She was almost about to get up and cheer when Triple H's final words stunned her, forcing her to mute the television and turn her boys around so that they couldn't see. For the second week in a row Big Show emerged, tears on his face, guilt in his eyes. Security escorted him down to the ring, and Allie would have heard his apology if not for the silence of her television.

"Oh and one more thing," Triple H had said, turning when they reached the top of the stage. Stephanie had grinned. Allie's nostrils had flared. "When Allie comes to visit be sure to tell her how much this match means. Unless she's watching right now. If you are watching Allie, this is for you. A warning of what's going to happen to your Dad and brothers if you lose. Big Show!"

She wiped the tears from her eyes to convince them that it was okay. Once the tears were gone she began to get angry. She was ready. In fact, she felt sorry for the Diva she would be facing. She would beat her to a pulp. She would not enjoy it, of course. But she would do it.

And then she _would_ enjoy kicking Triple H's ass.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two. Hell Bent.

It was almost four in the morning by the time she had finally started packing. The phone calls from her family members and friends had kept her rather busy as she attempted – and failed – to get her over excited four year olds to bed. Instead of granting their Mother's request, they watched the old wrestling tapes that were on a bookshelf in the living room. They had exclaimed that "Momma will be just like Mick Foley – hardcore!"

Allie couldn't send them to bed after that. Using Mick's favorite title destroyed any resolve she had left.

Dustin had informed her that they would be catching a flight to New York at seven am the next morning, meaning that Allie had to dig the mostly unneeded winter jumpers in the back of her closet. While Allie had nailed knitting the stuffed teddy bears her boys still carried with them, she had not grasped the basics of knitting clothing. Eventually she had decided to tell her Mother that she had knit the trendy jumpers she had bought from a store in Chicago. Judith had laughed at her immediately. So did the rest of the family. She understood this immediately.

Allison Rhodes was only good at seven things in the world: cooking, wrestling, drawing, singing, dancing, swimming, and gymnastics. These all excluded her extraordinary people skills – that included listening and acting as an unpaid and unofficial guidance counselor for her entire town. Lying was not a skill she excelled in. She could not tell a lie to save her life.

Allie looked down at her IPhone, showing the number of missed text messages on the touch screen. Brandi had sent a lot of 'No one expects you to do this' and 'Don't have to do this if you don't want to' sorts of texts. Allie had replied that she wanted to do it. Brandi didn't say much when Allie called her, though the younger woman had learned to expect that type of behavior. Brandi was a very private woman. Even with her husband's family, she tended to keep quiet. Honestly, Allie had been surprised that Brandi had made contact with her at all.

The only other one that she bothered to open was the one from CM Punk, nicknamed 'Philly' in her cellphone. He had not been able to contain his excitement. By the amount of exclamation marks and capital letters Allie almost thought he was on something – but of course, this was Philly. 'Straight Edge.' He'd tried to make Allie join, though she could only withstand an occasional beer for so long.

"Momma?" Finn had asked with tired eyes when the kitchen clock had reached five thirty am. She had just finished folding his clothes and putting them into his suitcase, and she had looked at him with a weak smile. Mason was already asleep, and Finn would soon follow. She could tell by the way he had rubbed his eyes to keep them open. "When are we going to the airport?"

"Soon, baby. But don't worry, you can sleep on the plane," she had told him, pressing a kiss to his forehead as he crawled onto her lap and wrapped his arms around her neck. She loved cuddling her boys. They seemed to need cuddles more and more lately, though Allie didn't complain. The fact that they wanted to be with their Mother more than anything in the world didn't bother her. The fact that they loved her more than anything in the world made her feel incredibly blessed. She _was_ their world. And they were hers.

'Soon' had come around faster than she had expected, and she had quickly found herself placing her sleeping sons into the backseat of her now former coworker Pauline's car. Pauline had agreed to stand in for her until Allie's resignation notice was complete, simply for the love she had for her friend and the amount of time Allie had stood in for her as a favor.

Allie was owed a lot of favors, actually.

Finn didn't wake the entire car ride to the airport, and Mason only stirred when he was pulled from the car and gently tugged into walking forwards as his Finn bounced on her hip. Allie had bid her farewells to Pauline with a kiss on the cheek as she quickly made her way back to their town. The amount of thanking that was expressed by Allie was incredible, and Pauline had to get into her car before she would stop.

The walked through the sliding doors slowly, Allie smiling weakly at each person they passed as Mason clung to her side and dragged his suitcase, wrapping his fingers around his Mother's as she pulled her own suitcase and Finn's. Some people stared in amazement, wondering how on earth a teenage Mother could look after her children so well. Her age had nothing to do with her parenting skill. She wasn't like some of the girls on those MTV shows. Her boys came before any man, any job, or any friendship. Her boys came before _her_.

Finn began to wake as soon as they had gone to the check-in desk and received their tickets, allowing his worn-out brother to trade positions with him as they made their way to their assigned gate. When Allie got up at four thirty am, the boys didn't get up with her. She let them sleep as she drove them to her Momma and Dad's house, and they rested until nine o'clock before kindergarten started up.

Allie was wide-awake at this time in the morning. The boys had never seen this time of day.

The entire airport was relatively quiet, the only noises being the few that were running late for their flights and had to run to their gate in a hurry, and the shriek of a toddler's wail. Allie's toddlers didn't wail. She couldn't help but smirk a little smugly as Mason curled up on her lap and slept, while Finn shaded in a picture of Superman from his coloring-in-book in red Crayola. She received envious looks from Mother's that passed, dragging screaming or complaining children behind them.

Allie was relatively surprised when the flight attendant announced that they were boarding, seeing very few passengers surrounding her in the plastic seats. Finn had grown tired, and had curled up by his Mother's side. She had strapped all of the suitcases together so that it would fit into overhead storage, meaning that it was easier for both of the boys to grab a hold of her without dragging their bags. The flight attendant smiled at them adoringly.

"Aren't we sweet?" she asked when they had finally boarded the almost empty plane and she had buckled them in. She grinned at her weakly, and ran a hand over Mason's brown hair soothingly as his head rolled to the side in exhaustion. The cabin lights had been dimmed for the purposes of the sleeping boys, and even the obnoxious men and women at the front of the aircraft that would usually complain kept their mouths shut when they saw the family. Allie had her left hand wrapped in Finn's, her right wrapped in Mason's. They joined the shushing noises the flight attendants made when others boarded – the plane gradually becoming full.

**Plane's about to take off now. Boys are asleep and we can't wait to see you guys x **Allie sent out on her phone quickly, adding her family members into one large group message before sending it, turning on flight mode, and turning it off. She quickly re-grasped Finn's hand when he began to stir at the lack of weight in his palm, smiling at him before pressing a kiss to his forehead.

She hadn't been on a plane in almost six months, the last time being when she had visited her then boyfriend, Randy Orton, at his home in Missouri. That visit had ultimately been their downfall, with Allie calling her older brother Dustin and begging him to come get her when the cops had been called to his house. Her entire family had never liked him, and on that day she knew why. She was used to physical abuse, what, with Jared basking in his fair share of it and Randy subjecting her to it for the six months of their horrendous relationship. She was used to Jared's punches. She was used to Randy's slaps and kicks. This time round, her body had been a canvas to Randy's well-placed fists.

No charges were filed, and thankfully the boys had missed the entire thing when they stayed in Austin with their Grandparents. They had been two at the time. Allie had convinced them that she had gotten chicken pox, and that when she had scratched them it had turned itchy and into bruises. When they got chicken pox they didn't scratch, remembering their Mother's false words.

From that day Allie had sworn to be strong. She dyed her naturally blonde hair a dark brown, gotten a navel piercing, and had completely revamped her suburban/soccer Mom clothes, and began to dress more like a teenager. She had even gotten a tattoo on her wrist to remind her how strong she would be. A rose crept up her skin, the uncolored petals on the inside of her wrist outlining the words Rìase. Amor. Viva. on her wrist, reminding her to laugh, love and to live. On the other side of her wrist there was no pretty Spanish words, – the language chosen to tie in with Allie's maternal roots – only the names 'Mason' and 'Finn' coming off what looked like a bracelet chain and forming a bow shape. She was very proud of that tattoo. It gave her hope.

Allie was so lost in her thoughts that she barely registered when the aircraft began to descend almost three and a half hours later. The boys bolted awake, their eyes wide at the noises coming from beneath them. She released a breathy chuckle and grabbed both of their hands comfortingly. She was glad that they were dressed in their winter clothes as rain began to beat at the airplane windows, and shake the aircraft slightly. It took some convincing, but the boys eventually accepted that this was normal. They still grabbed for her every time they jolted to another side unexpectedly, and grinned at her adoringly.

"When we land there's going to be a slight bump, okay baby? The wheels are going to touch the ground and we're going to slow down on the runway," she informed them with a smile, and they nodded. They looked like they were going to be sick. _Great_, Allie thought, _I get a travelling job and they don't like aircrafts? Fantastic_. Allie made a mental note to attempt to drive to arenas in the future if that meant planes would be avoided. "That's why we've got seatbelts on. You remember why Momma always said to wear a seatbelt?"

"Because it will stop us from hitting the things in front of us," Finn replied, pronouncing his r's as w's. She heard the tremor in his voice, and pressed a kiss to his forehead. He closed his longed-lashed bright green eyes as she pecked him, and opened them with a thin layer of water forming.

"Oh baby, don't cry. Here, you can both squeeze Momma's hand as hard as you need to," Allie offered them, which they both took her up on eagerly. She grinned at them and opened her mouth slightly, remembering how doing so always made the popping in her ears much less painful. Cody said it didn't work at all. Dustin said that it did. Allie wondered if it was just the sibling rivalry that caused this particular disagreement, but every time it was brought up they seemed to butt heads over it.

She was still angry about what happened last night. Her Father, a sixty eight year old man, was knocked to the ground in a heap. And Cody had slid out of the ring. Cody had left his Father and brother to fend off a man twice their width and triple their size all by themselves. She wasn't disappointed in him for leaving them. She understood why he did it. He had no balls.

She had yelled at him on the phone, when he attempted to apologize. He knew that she was mad. He knew that Dustin would probably have to hold her back from lunging at him. He just didn't know if Dustin would release her, and let her knock him out. Dustin had seemed pretty pissed off. Dustin _was_ pretty pissed off.

She couldn't wait until they landed. She wanted to pull her brother and Father into a hug, and inspect them with her own eyes to see if her Mother's assurances were true, and they were alright. The boys were excited too, bouncing up and down in their chairs when the wheels touched the tarmac and they realized that their family was only a terminal away.

All traces of tiredness were gone from their body when the seatbelt sign's light dimmed, and their Mother unbuckled them. When Allie moved to unstrap their bags from each others they joined in a chorus of excited squealing, their Mother smiling bashfully at the passengers who cooed over her sons. She had half expected groans and comments on her parenting skills. But anyone who met or saw those boys only registered their undeniable adorableness. Allie thanked each elderly woman that complimented her, and thanked the flight attendants profusely in their work to keep the plane silent.

The walk through the terminal was long and slow as they attempted – and failed – to cut past the excited tourists that continually stopped to take pictures of the runway. Allie tried to be patient. She knew what being in a new place was like, and how thrilling each little detail was. When she'd gone to Spain to visit her Nana and Papi she had photographed _everything _– even going to the lengths of taking a picture of the women's bathroom sign. She had just gotten _out _of the way to do so. There was a difference.

"Where are they, Momma?" Finn asked, tugging on the base of her woolen jumper. She was glad that she had packed and dressed the family in their winter clothes. The outside wind beat against the glass window mercilessly, attempting to break it and freeze the boarding and disembarking passengers inside the building. The former rain now cascaded in thick, white ice from the angry dark cloud few planes were soaring into, landing on the tarmac as still full pieces of hail. She knew that these temperatures were not rare in New York during winter, but it was rare for them. They hadn't seen this sort of weather since last year's Christmas.

She dragged her bright red suitcase behind her, smiling at their opposing Superhero bags that trailed behind them. Who was better was literally the only thing her boys disagreed on. Finn loved Superman's good nature and heroicness. Mason loved Batman's costume, and his husky voice. They both agreed that Spiderman was awesome, though. That fact seemed to bring them out of their heated discussions.

"I don't know where they are, baby, I think – _there_. Look over there," Allie told him, pointing to the small crowd in the corner of the room. Their green eyes followed her instructing finger, and they simultaneously dropped their suitcases and ran. She grinned at them widely, picking up the fallen luggage with a chuckle. They sprinted into Dustin's extended arms, their slightly more favored Uncle picking them up and spinning them.

Anger crossed Cody's face at his half-brother's display. Anger laced Allie's balled up fists as she stormed towards him. His blue eyes quickly went wide at the sight of her, and he looked to his Father for help. Help didn't come. Dusty knew that his daughter would sort out this situation on her own.

"Hey _hero_, how's it going?" Allie asked sarcastically, ignoring the wince that Brandi released from his side. Cody's face tightened, guilt glowing in his eyes. Allie didn't see it. She was too mad. "I can't believe you. How could you leave them like that? Damn it, Cody, I knew you were a coward – I just didn't know how little balls you had. Dad's sixty-_eight_. He can't deal with this sort of stuff anymore."

"I know, Al, and I'm–" she pressed a finger to his chest to silence his oncoming apology and glared.

"Don't you _dare_ say that you're sorry. You need to apologize to Dad and Dustin instead of me," she informed him sharply, scowling. Dustin put the squealing boys down quickly and handed them to his stepmother, resting a hand on Allie's shoulder soothingly. She didn't cast him the glance she knew he wanted her to, and deepened her glare. Mason's tugging on her hand was the only thing that cut through the intense moment, and she removed her finger from her brother's chest. "I'm not doing this in front of the boys. We'll talk about this _later_."

"But for now, how about my baby sister gives me a hug?" Dustin asked, wrapping her into one before she could reply. She smiled a little at his words. Allie and Dustin were more best friends that brother and sister. The family bond and protectiveness still remained, of course – though between them there was nothing that couldn't be spoken about. There was no line that couldn't be crossed that existed in some siblings. Dustin held a part of her heart in his palm, and all of her secrets in her mind. He had seen every scar and every jackass that had given them to her. He had almost beaten Jared within an inch of his life when he left. He _had_ beaten Randy Orton within an inch of his life when they had faced each other some years ago.

That was what made losing to him so painful. His jobs didn't matter to him. Allie did. Justice did.

"How was the flight?" Judith asked with a smile when her stepson released her, quickly taking the same position and pulling her into a briefer hug. Allie frowned slightly. She hadn't seen her Mother in almost two weeks and she looked completely different. Tired bags of lag of sleep rested under her blue eyes, and her smile wrinkles were fading. Her shoulders seemed to slump a little, as well.

_This is really taking its toll on her_, Allie realized. She cursed herself slightly for not noticing, and raised her eyebrows at her Father slightly once she was again released. It was only then that she noticed the forced smile he gave, and the small sighs that he released when breathing. _It's really taking its toll on _all_ of them_, she corrected, pulling her Dad a little closer to her chest.

"The flight was good. There was a bit of turbulence on landing, but otherwise it was fine," Allie answered, wrapping an arm around Dustin's waist as she let go of her Father. Finn immediately laced his fingers through hers as Dustin pulled Mason upwards, seating him on the back of his neck. Dustin was the only person that Allie allowed to do that. It was a very Fatherly act. Her elder brother was the only person she allowed to act like a Dad to her boys. "So what God forsaken hotel have they checked us into? How many walls does it have?"

"Four walls, surprisingly. I know, we were expecting three when we first arrived too – but here comes the twist. Two rooms for eight people, with one bed in each room. There's always a fucking twist," Dustin replied, ignoring their Father's glare at swearing in front of the boys as Dusty and Judith pulled their daughter and her sons luggage behind them. Cody and Brandi stayed silent as they followed, with the former averting everyone's eyes. "You, me and the boys are going to share one room – but don't worry, I'll sleep on the sofa. You'll need the bed to rest your sore body, seeing as you'll be working off some ring rust."

"I don't have _any_ ring rust, Peb," she replied, elbowing him slightly in the stomach with his 'ring rust' statement. She didn't know why she called him Peb. She didn't know why he called her Pod. Logic would suggest if the joke behind it was 'Dustin and Allie were like peas in a pod' then he would be called Pea. But no. It was Peb. And it had stuck since she was three years old and he was twenty-seven years old. "But I am heading to the gym later on today, so do you think you could–"

"Watch the boys? Thought you'd never ask," Dustin replied with a grin as they walked towards the doors, wincing as the cold air slammed into them unexpectedly. Allie smiled at him gratefully as she pulled Finn close to her chest. The family quickly made their way to Dustin's SUV, darting inside it at a fast pace as they attempted to get away from the icy temperatures. Cody and Brandi didn't accompany them. Nobody questioned why.

* * *

She stood under the water for a long time, letting it soak her hair and turn the shampoo in its strands into a foam. She washed the sweat and stench from her body with a blissful sigh, tilting her head back to continue with the waterfall of hot rain. Her body ached slightly, partly from jetlag, and partly because of the extensive wrestling workouts she had insisted on the past three days.

She had put more effort in than anyone had expected her to. She had put more effort in than anyone knew. She was in the gym at five thirty each morning, lifting weights for an hour before her brothers and Father got there to wrestle with her. Her breaks extended from twelve pm until two, and then she worked until six o'clock in the evening. What she didn't tell her brothers was that she went downstairs and to the hotel gym when her insomnia refused her of sleep, and she worked on various stations from midnight to three in the morning. She managed on barely over two hours sleep.

Allie had reluctantly forgiven Cody. Dustin had informed her that he had, and from that moment on her anger had dimmed. She was still a little bitter, though his grateful smile had dimmed that too. She knew – however deep down – that arguing with her brother wouldn't make anyone feel better. It would not make this situation easier, either.

She was nervous about the oncoming day. Friends in the locker room had informed her brothers that she wouldn't be facing someone easy like Aksana, and that they were going for the best trained Diva on the roster to take her down. Rumor had it that she would be facing Tamina Snuka. Needless to say _that_ thought had kicked her doubts into gear. Tamina was a good athlete – granted Allie was the better wrestler – and was known to knock Diva's out with a clothesline.

If that wasn't something to be feared, Allie didn't know what was.

Eventually wasting hot water grew tiresome, and she turned the shower off with a squeak. She dressed herself slowly in her mickey-mouse oversized jumper and checkered cloth pajama shorts before tying her long wet brown hair into a messy bun and exiting the bathroom. Dustin snored loudly from the other room – so much so that Allie closed the bedroom door to muffle the noise as to not wake the sleeping boys. Tomorrow would be the day she got her dream job. Tomorrow would be the day she retrieved justice for her family.

She groaned quietly as her phone read 6am in thin letters, and she quietly slid in between Finn and Mason. They instinctively wrapped rolled over and snuggled into her as she slept, and she couldn't help but smile. _Today is the day, Allie, _she told herself, her voice echoing in her surprisingly quiet mind. _Today is the day that you get your dream job. And you can't do that on lack of sleep, now can you?_

She wished for sleep. She really did. Unfortunately it didn't come, and she was left staring at the ceiling as doubt gradually crowded her thoughts.

* * *

"It's too early for this," Dean complained, his voice groggy with exhaustion. He gripped his takeaway coffee cup tightly; so much so that Roman thought it might burst under the pressure and scald his hands. Seth nodded in agreement, sipping the remainder of his black coffee before throwing it into the trash. Roman's feet were the only pair that didn't drag as they made their way to Stephanie McMahon's office. He was too determined as to figure out _why _they were here this early for a meeting, as to how dare his bosses summon him at this hour. "Why the hell do they think that this is okay? Aren't they aware with all this travel that we get no sleep and–?"

"We've been here since yesterday, Dean. You got plenty of sleep," Roman interjected, turning the corner as he spoke. His friend wrinkled his face in disdain for the volume of his voice, and Roman chuckled as he saw it out of the corner of his eye. "I _told_ you that going out and partying was not a good idea, man. Hangovers on show days are a bitch."

"You're a bitch," Dean grumbled quietly, and Roman grinned. This time of the morning didn't faze him like it did his companions. He was usually in the gym at this point, and returning three hours later to find Seth and Dean still unconscious in various areas of their hotel room. Sometimes they were in their own beds with a stranger, other times they were lying in a pool of their own vomit. Roman didn't hesitate to sober and clean them up.

They rounded another empty corner, all of them tensing and halting when they saw the Wyatt's closing a large red door that Stephanie sat behind. _What are they doing here? _Roman wondered, balling his hands into fists as the other stable halted. Rowan wasn't wearing his sheep mask. Bray's hair wasn't thick with grease. Harper… looked just as he always did. All of them strange, despite the fact that no cameras were around. All having deranged twinkle in their eyes, despite the fact they had no crowd to scare.

Roman scowled.

The Wyatt's walked towards them slowly, with Bray's 'sons' following behind him slowly. Roman had never liked this stable. They were too strange for his liking. They were the kind of people that dined over their enemy's blood, and sacrificed their lives for some God that – yes, Roman's imagination _did_ get the best of him.

They brushed past the men without a word as they made their way to the red door they had just closed, and Dean didn't even bother to knock as he threw it open. Now_ he's full of life_, Roman thought with another smile, though smothered the grin when he and Seth followed Dean inside. The Wyatt's had since disappeared from the hallway. Roman tried to push that thought aside as Dean slouched in an armchair, Seth crossed one leg over the other and tapped his foot impatiently, and he himself sat next to Seth on the couch with poor posture.

Now they were The Shield. Not three tired friends walking through the halls of an arena to their boss. Appearances meant _everything. _The part of them that was the character that they portrayed had to consume them when around others. Dean had to be sarcastic and witty. Seth had to be tactful and cunning. Roman had to be big and intimidating. He didn't really have to do much. He _was _big and intimidating anyway.

"I would say to make yourselves comfortable, but it seems that you already have," Stephanie began, clasping her hands together on the desk in front of her. Roman scowled once more, and narrowed his eyes slightly. She either didn't see it or was pointedly ignoring him. "Now, how about we get down to business? I'm sure you're all wondering why you're down here so early, so I'll tell you. Do you know about Allie, the new Diva that is competing tonight?"

"You mean the twenty year old kid that you've forced to take on Tamina Snuka so that she can _lose_ her family's jobs, with the news delivered in the most _tasteful _way of knocking her elderly Father unconscious?" Dean asked, not faltering or stumbling for a moment. Roman released an amused grin this time as Stephanie's perfectly plucked eyebrows raised, and her mouth hung open. "Yeah, that rings a bell."

"Well I'm glad you're so passionate about this subject," Stephanie replied tightly, forcing her corporate smile onto her face. Dean's nose wrinkled at her words, and he busied himself with playing with the leather of the armchair he was slouched in. "The reason why I'm glad is because you will be working a lot around this situation. After Dusty's words about his daughter being a good wrestler my husband and I did a search to see how talented she was. If you cast your eyes to my computer screen you will see a YouTube video of her wrestling her older brother," Stephanie continued, turning her laptop around to face the trio. Roman was the only one who was really interested, and he moved forward in his seat to get a closer look. "As you can see, she knows what she is doing. That submission hold there comes from Japanese wrestling origins, and the one that you're about to see involves moves that even Daniel Bryan can't do – and unfortunately he is our submission hold expert. It has come to our attention that she _will _beat Tamina Snuka tonight on Smackdown, and that we have no place in stopping her or bailing on the agreed terms to the match. We _need_ her on our roster, and apparently she and her brothers come as a package deal."

"And we are here because?" Seth asked, his voice impatient as he rubbed his forehead. Roman continued to inspect her style, eyes widening as she made _Goldust _tap out as he screamed in agony. She released him immediately, and took his face into her hands as she asked if he was okay – ignoring the cheers that erupted from the gym-goers around them. Roman only looked up when Stephanie smirked.

"We need you to help us control her. We came into contact with the gym she is a member of earlier this week to understand how she operates, and we were informed that she has a strong personality. She will not become a valet for anyone, nor will she give in to what Hunter and I request of her if she doesn't think it is right," Stephanie replied, her smile deepening wickedly. "It seems that she is far too bold and strong for what we would usually require in a Diva – and it is apparent that she is far too talented and too much of an asset for us to let her go."

"And we are here _because_?" Seth repeated, his tone showing just how frustrated he was getting. He was too hung-over for this. Everything was too loud and blurry. He almost inquired again when Stephanie seemingly ignored him, rummaging around in her desk until she found what she was looking for. She handed each man a fat-folder and looked at them expectantly. Roman reluctantly took it, eyes widening as he studied what was on the first page. The detail of this made him sick.

"If you sit down, Roman, everything will be explained," Stephanie informed him as he attempted to get up and walk out, narrowing her eyes. Seth was already on the second page, an entertained expression crossing his face. Dean was already six pages in, smiling at a piece of was sickened by their interest. Stephanie glared once more, and he reluctantly abided by her request.

Roman's final words were, "No." His companions were, "Hell yeah."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three. "Would it be bad if I threw up?"

* * *

"So how do you feel?" Cody asked, resting his head on his arm that hugged the neck of the couch. Allie looked up from her sketchpad with a blank expression, before giving in and laughing. How was she supposed to feel? Scared? Definitely. Doubtful? Hell yeah. Nauseous? Very. It was a miracle Cody had gotten her to snack of various food items earlier in the day. Of course, she had to prepare various food items for _him_, so it wasn't very hard to get her to make herself her own share. "Don't worry, before my first match I had to go to the bathroom three times. It was the most scared I had ever been."

"I know, Codes. I was with you when you debuted. It was a miracle you didn't vomit up your breakfast," Allie reminded him with a grin, returning her eyes to the half-shaded face that was gradually becoming 3D on her piece of paper. She didn't know who or what she was drawing. In the beginning it started out as a flower, a rose as per usual. Then a petal became an eye, and an eye became a pair. From that moment on she had let her creative instincts run wild, and her artistic side controlled her hand. It was beginning to look like a crying woman, and Allie began to get a little wary of where her subconscious was taking her. "It'll be fine, Codes, I'm not worried about what's going to happen. I'll pin this Tamina woman, and that will be the end of it."

"And you've looked over her matches? Gotten a feel for her style?" Cody asked, nerves in his voice as he sat up straighter. Dustin looked up from where he was playing on the floor with the twins and their Legos, his eyes resting on Allie's face. _Great,_ Allie thought bitterly, throwing her sketchpad aside as she went to the kitchen area, _even my own brothers don't have faith in my abilities_.

"Yes, Cody, I looked over all of her matches last night. I know is that she has a particularly stiff clothesline, attacks in the early stages of the match, and has some girl named AJ down at her side who distracts her opponents," Allie recited, opening the fridge to get a jar of Nutella and a spoon. There was only one way to eat Nutella, and putting it on bread was not it. And nervous nausea did not count when it came to Nutella, either. Nutella broke all rules of nature. Cody and Dustin were still watching her intently when she emerged once more, and she sighed. "Guys, it's _me_. I don't get distracted. My focus will be on the match at hand – but thank you for having so much faith in my abilities. It really means a lot."

"We have complete faith in you, Pod. We know that you're going to beat her – we're only worried because last week she gave Naomi a concussion. We just don't want you to get hurt, that's all," Dustin replied, throwing her an amused grin as she emptied the near-by m&m packet into her chocolate sea. She narrowed her eyes at him slightly as she mixed it around with a spoon, and cocked her brunette head to the side. "You _know_ that we believe in you, Pod. We just have difficulty trusting people other than us to be in the ring with you."

"You don't have to be scared, Peb. I'll be fine. And besides, I've faced plenty of people other than you and came out unscathed," Allie replied, walking across the room to sit cross-legged next to her playing sons on the floor. Mason smiled at her widely as he added another piece to his 'tower', and she ruffled his hair in response. Finn, however, stared at the ground with a torn expression. Allie's motherly instincts heightened instantly at his frown. "What's wrong, baby?"

"Is Mr Randy going to be there tonight, Momma?" he asked immediately and with no hesitation. Allie froze. Dustin tensed. Cody sat up straighter in his chair. Both Mason and Finn looked at their Mother with expecting eyes. Allie hadn't expected this. She had actually thought they'd forgotten about her ex, as they had been so little at the time. But no. Her boys didn't miss a thing. "Because we don't like Mr Randy, Momma. He's mean, and–"

"Mr Randy will be there tonight, baby, but we're not going to talk to him or even say hello," Allie interjected, her pitch a little too high. Dustin threw her a worried glance, having an idea of how she was internally reacting. On the exterior she was calm and convincing, a little flustered to the studying adult eye – but calm and convincing to two four-year-olds. The interior was a different story. She felt a different type of nausea. Her mind was spinning with newfound concerns. Her palms were getting a little sweaty.

Dustin stood after a few moments and pulled Finn onto his hip and ruffled Mason's already ruffled brown hair with his free hand.

"Look at the time – we should be heading off to the arena now. How about you two go get your coloring books really fast?" Dustin asked, pushing the boys towards her bedroom gently as Allie smiled at him gratefully. She too stood, and he rested both hands on her shoulders. "It's going to be fine, Pod. I'll protect the boys during your match. Randy wont come anywhere them."

"But what if he–" Allie began, uncertainty in her tone. She was abruptly shushed by Dustin, who made the sharp hiss of a hushing noise and pressed two fingers to her lips.

"It's _me_, Pod. I will not let them anywhere near them," Dustin interrupted, wrapping his younger sister into a tight hug as he spoke. Cody threw him her bag as the eldest sibling embraced the youngest, and Allie whimpered a little. "Now come on, we really do have to go. Can't have you late on your first day at a new company, now can we?"

_First and last_, a voice in the back of her head echoed, though she smiled through her uncertainty. She would convince Dustin that she could do this. She would convince Cody that she could do this. She would convince each of her concerned family members and friends that she could do this.

Because if she could convince them, maybe she could convince herself.

* * *

"Can you believe that Hunter and Stephanie are making Dusty's daughter fight for her brothers jobs? I really feel bad for the girl. I mean, she has _so _much pressure on her shoulders," Natalya said, putting to use her poor acting skills as she pretended that she didn't know that the camera was there. She had practiced this segment with the Bella's almost eight times, as it had been the only segment time the trio had gotten in months.

"I know exactly what you mean, Nattie. I mean, poor thing, she's going to lose _everything_. Her brothers will hate her when she loses against Hunter's mystery Diva later tonight on Smackdown," Nikki replied, pouting slightly as she pressed her breasts together subtly and grasped her exposed hips. They sounded like robots. A portion of the crowd even started up a, 'You suck!' chant in abhorrence to their delivery of obviously scripted lines. Brie shook her head as she listened to her sister, her brown eyes accidently catching the camera lens as she looked back to Natalya. She would be playing the defending underdog/hero tonight.

Fans disliking her so much slightly soured their love for her boyfriend, Daniel Bryan. The WWE creative team was going to extensive lengths to not only make her look kind, but to also make her look talented at wrestling. The latter was much harder. She had been employed solely for her looks and twin sister. Learning to wrestle had come later.

"No, you guys, have faith in her. Listen, Daniel and I were looking through YouTube the other day and we found a video of Allie wrestling. She's _good_. She could beat anyone – even _Tamina_," Brie informed them; emphasizing the name in such a way that her companions faked gasps. Nikki grabbed her sibling's arm in 'concern' and 'looked around desperately' to see if Tamina was around. She wasn't. Well, she was – but she standing behind the cameraman with an unimpressed scowl. "What, Nikki? She could. She made _Goldust_ tap in two seconds."

"Shh, Brie! We don't want anyone to hear what you just said about Tamina, that would be–" Nikki sharply hissed, cutting of her words in 'surprise' as she looked off to where Tamina had moved to. The woman walked up to them angrily, AJ skipping along behind her with a dazedly-dumbfounded expression on her face.

"What did you just say about me, Brie? You think that Allie Rhodes could beat me?" Tamina almost shouted, balling her hands up into fists as she stared down the three smaller women. AJ giggled, and twirled a strand of dark brown hair through her fingertips. "Well she couldn't. She _can't _beat me. No one can. I'm Tamina Snuka. I'm the best Diva that this company has – apart from AJ, of course."

AJ Lee nodded along with a fond grin, stroking the championship belt that was slung over her shoulder. She was more interested in seeing Allie Rhodes with her own eyes, rather than the segment at hand. She had had her fair share of camera time as of late. She was actually beginning to get a little bored of it.

The other Superstars and Divas that surrounded them from behind the camera had the exact same mindset as her. The women wanted to size up their potential new competition. The men wanted to study the new challenge. Rumors had spun like crazy of how beautiful she was – and the last time beauty rumors had spread, they were delivered Maryse. Arguably the most beautiful woman in the WWE of all time.

CM Punk was not hovering by the door for the same reasons as his coworkers. He wanted to wrap her into a big hug and rip her and the boys out of the cold weather. He had missed them more than anything – and while he knew that in no way they belonged to him, he was protective of them. Allie was his best friend. Allie was the only person in the world that could push or pull him from the edge. And her boys… he would _kill _just to make her bright green eyes light up on their little faces.

AJ scowled angrily, turning her body to glare at Punk's back as he paced around impatiently. He was _hers_. No other girl was supposed to make him so flustered – he was _hers_. He only cared about her. _She_ was the only person he cared about. She grabbed Tamina's arms when a grin covered his mouth, and a figure was suddenly wrapped in his arms.

"Come here! I've missed you!" he had yelled when she entered, and had run towards her before she could even blink. The camera quickly diverted from the five Diva's, and had focused on the embracing pair. Tamina's large arms folded over her chest as she watched. Nattie, Brie and Nikki all wore the same adoring smile, which was quickly emphasized by a chorus of 'aw'. AJ, however, scowled.

"Not as much as I missed you, you big oaf. Sorry we took so long – Peb suggested ice cream in front of the boys, and it took us an hour to find a place hat sold ice cream in the winter. I know what you're going to say: Peb is a genius," Allie informed him sarcastically when she was released, patting a hand on her eldest brothers shoulder as he grinned in amusement. Punk raised his eyebrows at the man in humored question, though the action was sharply cut off as two little boys grasped at his legs. His face softened immediately.

"Uncle Philly!" the boys cheered as the man picked them up, pulling them close to his chest as they wrapped their arms around his neck. The blissful look that crossed his face could make any woman breathless. It sure made Allie gasp a little. The look in his eyes as he cooed over them was one of fierce protectiveness, with a contrast of kind and selflessness.

Allie felt a glare on her back, though she didn't budge. She just watched them fondly. When she'd first met Punk she was eleven years old, she had known that they were going to be friends for a long time. She still remembered it so vividly. Dustin had just won an important match, and – as her family never failed to do when an important match was won – they had gone out for dinner to celebrate. It was only when a certain tattooed fellow wrestler joined them that Allie registered dark brown eyes on her face, and she had blushed an intense red.

She no longer felt embarrassed around Punk, though. He was her closest friend, and any romantic connection between them had always been out of the question. He had known her for almost a decade. He had helped guide her through some of her toughest moments. They were a part of each other's hearts and souls whether they wanted to be or not. Though they were both more than willing to be a part of each other's hearts and souls.

He was her rock, and she was his.

"You had _ice cream_? And you didn't bring me any? You know how much I love ice cream," Punk informed them as he put them on the floor, mocking a pout as he furrowed his eyebrows. Dustin _and _Phil were the only people she allowed to act as a Dad figure to her boys. They balanced each other out, in most respects. Dustin was selfless, ambitious, and helpful – though had a tendency to lie at times, and get a bit rowdy when he had a few to many. Punk was loyal, protective, and always told the truth – though sometimes he was a little _too_ honest, and unintentionally ended up hurting people. And she couldn't lie at all. Balance.

Allie loved the different aspects that they bought while helping her guide her sons. They never went so far as to help _raise _them, and Allie was ultimately the only person who had a say in how they were bought up – though they were more than happy to add their thrown personalities and experiences in the pool of life lessons and admirable traits.

"Sorry Uncle Philly – but really it was Uncle Dustin's fault. He didn't let Momma have any ice cream either," Mason informed him, looking to his Mother in sympathy and opening his arms. She nodded to Punk 'sadly', and picked up her son after his silent request. Finn grasped onto Punk's hand happily, thumb in his mouth as he studied the Superstars and Divas that were watching them. One woman in particular caught his attention, and he looked at the seething brunette with confused eyes.

"Poor Momma. Do you think she needs a cuddle to feel a bit better?" Punk asked, grinning as Allie smirked at him. Mason immediately tightened his hold around his Mother's neck, and even did one up on Punk when he planted a kiss to his Mother's cheek. It was her fourth kiss of the day. Some people got sick of their children at times. Allie didn't. She lived for every cuddle, every kiss, and every 'I love you'. They made her entire world instantly brighten. Her smirk turned into a fond grin as Mason nestled his brown head of hair into her neck. "There, look at that smile, Mace. Doesn't Momma look happy now? Doesn't she–"

"You're playing with some _whore_ and her kids?" a voice suddenly shrieked, and Allie jumped. Mason immediately tightened his grip on her, and Punk quickly passed the now panicking toddler that had previously held his hand to his Mother. AJ was rapidly storming across the room – so fast that Allie's first reaction was to pass the boys off to Cody and clench her fists. AJ's nose wrinkled as she saw the movement. "You want to fight me, slut? You want to fight _me_ – I am AJ Lee. I am the Divas Champion. And _nobody _can take that away from me. You think you can just waltz in here, with your stupid little kids and your–"

"Allie!" Judith exclaimed as she and her husband walked through the door, witnessing the entire altercation with wide and unknowing eyes. But the deed was done. No amount of her name being called in shock would erase that fact from history. AJ Lee lay crumpled on the floor, hand covering a nose that had blood already gushing from it. Allie didn't regret punching her at all. She regretted the fact that Punk picked her up and yanked her away, before she could do any more damage.

Nobody talked about her babies like that. No one.

"Shut your mouth next time, bitch, and then maybe I wont have to knock your whitened little teeth out," Allie shouted as she was thrown over Punk's shoulder and pulled from the room. Superstars and Divas stood with wide mouths – all of them clearly not expecting that _this_ was the youngest Rhodes child. They had expected some bleach-blonde little ditz that had no backbone. Everyone had seemed to forget her Mother–status, and had assumed she would be innocent. But no. That was _not_ Allie Rhodes. She sighed, and attempted to slip out of Punk's grasp. "Philly, I'm–"

"Don't you try telling me you're fine, Allie. You can't tell a lie for shit," Punk sharply interrupted, though he didn't sound mad. He didn't sound happy either. He sounded… amused. _He's always so Goddamn amused_, Allie thought bitterly as he continued to carry her, following behind Dustin and Cody that were leading the bewildered twins through another door.

She wondered with a smirk how many times the WWE would have to 'bleep' the altercation in reruns and when it was put on the Network. What a way to enter. Nobody would forget her now: Allie Rhodes, the Diva who punched a champion in the face within five minutes of entering the building.

Her soon-to-be coworkers wouldn't forget this either. _Three_ soon-to-be coworkers in particular.

* * *

"Did you see how she just_ hit_ her? She didn't even hesitate, she just – bam!" Seth asked, smacking his fist into his open palm at his last word. Dean nodded with a lazy grin, and Roman released a breathy chuckle. He remembered how AJ had screamed when the Rhodes daughter was escorted out of the room by the Divas Champion's ex-boyfriend. He had seen the fit she threw. He had seen how the cameraman had gotten the whole tantrum on film.

"I honestly didn't think she'd have that much fight in her, you know? Actually, I was kind of counting on that. It would make our job a little easier," Dean replied, running a hand through his curly brown hair. That was when Roman's face tightened, and his fists clenched. Both of his companions rolled their eyes. "Come on, dude. You can't still be hung up on this. Besides, it's not like you're doing it. _I'm _the one that's going to get her to do it. You're just there for backup."

"I get that, Dean. I get that. I just don't feel right about this," Roman admitted, sitting forward in his chair slightly. Seth sat up a little straighter in his chair to watch the torn look that crossed his face, and the two-tone haired man looked at Dean in concern. Roman sucked in a sharp breath as he saw the glance exchange. "I'm not ditching the plan, it that's what you're worried about. I'm just… rethinking my moral code."

Dean laughed at his attempt at a joke, while Seth remained serious.

"Dude, it's going to take half an hour. All you have to do is stand there and look tough. And its not like it's that big of a deal anyway," Seth reminded him, attempting to sooth his friend's worries. Roman stood up abruptly – so fast that Dean's head spun around in shock, thinking that he had stood so that he could lunge at Seth. But he hadn't. He was quickly walking towards the door. "Where are you going? Roman, I–"

"I'm going to catering. I'll meet you at the usual place when it's time, but for now I need to clear my head," Roman informed them, walking out the door without a second glance. Dean shrugged as Seth looked at him in confusion, and yanked his Shield gear off the couch Roman had previously been lounging on.

Dean had been wrong. He hadn't been making a joke. His moral code really did need some tampering with before they went through with this plan. And tampering took time. The thing was, they only had so much time before Stephanie would find someone else to do the job.

* * *

"So how do you feel?" Cody asked for the second time that night, sitting down on the opposite bench to her as she laced up her boots. Punk looked up from his lying down/sleeping position on the couch expectantly, and Dustin stopped buttoning his shirt. Her forced confident smile wavered at each stare they put on her face, and eventually faltered altogether.

_I'm ready, _she informed herself sharply. _At least, I hope I am. No, you _are_ ready, Allie. You can beat her, get a job, and get Cody and Peb's jobs back. You can do this. Hopefully._

"I'm fine," she lied, slumping her shoulders slightly at the eye rolls she received. She knew they didn't believe her. She wished she could lie – it seemed to get everyone else out of unwanted conversations. Everyone that she had asked to teach her had either laughed or refused, though. She would be stuck in this pit of forced honesty for the rest of her life.

"Allie Rhodes, your match is about to start. Please make your way to the Gorilla position," a crewmember requested, cutting off the reply Allie was about to give. She nodded to herself as she stood, wiping down the crinkled fabric of the ring gear she had been given by one of the seamstresses earlier. It was a two-piece, with black leather-like material, and a gold sparkly heart on her chest. She looked the part. Now she would just have to _do_ the part. And she could.

_Hopefully_, she thought as she exited the room, her brothers in tow, as Punk remained behind to watch the boys. Dustin and Cody weren't allowed to come out to the ring with her. She could do this – no, she _would_ do this. She was born for this.

* * *

**Hi all! Sorry this chapter was pretty lousy, short, disjointed, and maybe a bit hard to follow - but thank you so much for reading ****through it! Thanks to my amazing reviewer as well! And to my favoriters and followers, you're awesome too! If you would like to review, follow, or favorite it would be greatly appreciated!**

**Again, thank you for reading! xxx Jess :)**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four. Stay safe.

* * *

She didn't know what she expected when she walked out into the arena. She had dreamed of cheering, signs with her name plastered on them, cardboard pictures of her raised into the air proudly. She had expected a loud, wild reaction – with little girls exclaiming, "There's Allie! Allie! Over here!" At least, she expected that to come in the future. At this point in her soon-to-be full time career she expected at least… noise.

No such thing came.

She stepped onto the stage with a weak smile. And was met with silence. All eyes were on her. All mouths were shut, and had been that way ever since Lillian Garcia had introduced her. Some of them had pitiful expressions on their unmoving faces. Others had somewhat encouraging expressions on their faces, though they were laced with doubt. No one had faith that she would win. They all thought that this would be that last time they would ever see the Rhodes family.

It was not a confidence boost, to say the least.

She walked down the ramp with her head held high, and climbed the steps expertly. She was thankful that she didn't fall off them through her nervousness and trembling. _That _would warrant them having no faith in her. She briefly wiped her shoes on the outside of the apron before ducking through the white ropes. They didn't even speak when she turned her unconvinced smile into what she hope was a reassuring grin. They didn't even breathe. Michael _Cole_ was even silent. If that wasn't an impressive feat to conquer, Allie didn't know what was.

She stiffened as her Father's music ended, and was replaced with a loud echoing guitar chord. She snarled as the suit-clad man emerged from behind the screen that would broadcast her name in the future. The audience mirrored her, though they hated Triple H for a different reason. In their minds he had orchestrated this match so he could sign the Rhodes family's unemployment papers that evening, and be done with it. In Allie's mind she was entering a battle that was unnecessary, because she would beat his 'mystery Diva' either way.

It had been hard to regain the right mindset after Cody had a panic attack mere moments before she went onto the stage – but she had done it. Dustin was pissed off that he had wound her up so quickly, stating that 'She's going to get our jobs back you idiot. So _stop_ psyching her out.' Allie had not only been forced to calm down Cody's hammering heart and quick breathing, but had also had to yank Dustin's hands down to his sides and push him backwards.

This whole sibling-rivalry was getting really old, _really_ fast. If Mason and Finn ever grew up to be like that she'd have no problem knocking some sense into them – with words, of course. She would never hit her boys. She could potentially end up hitting her brothers, though. It irritated her immensely that they couldn't agree on anything. Sometimes it felt like they argued for the sake of arguing.

Allie narrowed her eyes at Triple H as he grabbed a microphone. She just wanted to get it started. She just wanted to win. He smiled at her, and ran a hand over his shaved head.

"Now, I'm not out here to taunt you, Allie. I'm not doing this because I don't like you – I'm doing this because I don't like your _family_. Believe me, if this was about _you_, you wouldn't even be in my building," Triple H informed her with a grin, soaking up the disgusted boos that were directed at him. Allie glared, and shifted from foot to foot impatiently. Hunter chuckled, and continued. "I'm going to keep this short, Allie, because I'm aware that everyone is anxious to get to your match – and I am kind enough to ease their nervousness, because that's what's _best for business_."

The crowd booed his words. Allie did too. Hunter only smiled at the woman in the ring, and continued.

"Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together in welcoming Miss Rhodes's opponent tonight – _Tamina Snuka,_" Triple H said, and Allie mocked the shock like she was supposed to. She had been informed on Tuesday that she was be facing her – and even if she hadn't been told, she would have a fair idea of who she was facing by all of the wrestling prediction sites that had exploded at the news of the match. Her potential opponents were Tamina Snuka, Nikki Bella, and AJ Lee. Those same sites had erupted once more after the altercation earlier was broadcast to the public, stating that a match at WrestleMania was inevitable.

The dying boos from the crowd immediately drew her back into reality. She could see the defeated looks covering their faces, and some returned her previously weak smile. She wasn't smiling anymore. She wasn't trying to reassure them that she would win. She was scowling. She was standing straight with hands balled into fists – refusing to tremble again like she had been instructed to do. Triple H glared at her as he made his way down the ramp.

Him sitting on commentary hadn't been expected. AJ sprinting down the ramp, sliding into the ring, and getting in her face hadn't been expected either. Allie didn't hesitate in slapping her across her screeching face, and sending her plummeting to the ground. If looks could kill, Allie would be dead by now.

"Oh I'm _sorry_. Want to ask _Punky _to kiss it better?" Allie asked sarcastically, leaning through the ropes to stare down the fallen woman. She could almost feel Punk's face lighting up into a smirk as the camera directed straight at her face brought the words onto the monitor in the Rhodes locker room. Tamina was immediately by her side, stroking the champion's hair down as she asked if she was all right. AJ released a scream. Allie smirked smugly and turned her back to them, smiling at the cheering crowd.

"Tamina get in the ring," the referee ordered, smiling at Allie with a blush. She grinned – knowing from Cody's experiences that it was never good to have the refs hate you. After all, they were what _truly _stood between a wrestler and a championship. And she _would_ be a champion. It was only a matter of time.

Tamina glared at the referee, though did what she was asked, and climbed in. AJ was still on the ground, shrieking and crying and pulling her belt to her chest. The 'ding' of the ring bell quickly pulled Allie back into focus – and she was immediately regretful that she had tuned back into reality. It would have hurt less.

The signature-finishing move of Tamina Snuka hit her smack bang in the face – the Superkick packed full of intensity as she attempted to end the match immediately. Allie fumed as she sat up, holding her throbbing forehead as she steadied herself. The crowd's booing was all that she could hear, and AJ's screaming drowned out their instructions to move. She was speared to the ground, and Tamina went straight for the pin.

The crowd gasped in shock as she kicked out on the first count. Tamina scowled and went for Allie's long brown hair, lacing her fingers through the thick mass of curls as she dragged her upwards. Allie shrieked in pain. Peb's face clouded her mind. Cody's face quickly followed. She wanted them to get their jobs back. She wanted a job of her own. She could do it.

All she had to do was get through a pissed off monster.

"This is sad, bro. She's so defenseless… so weak. How's she supposed to beat Tamina? The woman is a _tank_," Dean observed as the trio watched the match, witnessing the action from their entrance spot. They could hear the screaming from where they stood – though it wasn't Allie's. It was AJ. Tamina dropped her abruptly and kicked her square in the gut. The entire arena winced. Allie doubled over in pain. Roman would have helped if they hadn't been instructed not to intervene. They weren't even allowed to go in after the match was finished. They had to wait for theirs, and then go find wherever she wound up that night. "This hard to watch."

Allie gasped in pain and clutched her stomach, shielding it from Tamina's foot that subsequently impacted on her back. Allie groaned and stifled a yelp. Tamina smiled and continued. AJ squealed with laughter and clapped her hands quickly – jumping up and down like a child.

"Yeah, stay down _Mommy_. Stay on the ground where you belong," AJ shouted, walking around the ring so that she was right next to Allie's face. Tamina dragged her up once more and let her stand – only to take her down with a strong clothesline. Seth shook his head and looked away. Dean's face screwed up slightly. Roman tightened his fists and clenched his jaw. AJ giggled again as Tamina pushed her back into the corner and started beating her with her large fists. "That's right – in the corner. Get her, Tamina. _Get her_! How does it feel now, _Mommy _– you missing your boys? Well I'm sure you can–"

But her question was silenced by Allie's scream. She kicked Tamina backwards, wrapped one hand around the back of her neck, and used the opposite arm to pummel her skull with numerous Bionic Elbow's. The crowd released a scream of delight, and the Shield couldn't resist smiling at her comeback. Grins were all around.

Except for the women in and around the ring. Allie was scowling. AJ was glaring. Tamina was stumbling around in pain. Allie looked AJ in her dark brown eye and gave her a crooked smile, ignoring the fact that there were two AJ's seething at the bottom of the ring. Allie grabbed Tamina's face in her arms and looked at the crowd, letting them in on exactly what she was about to do. Hunter stood, mouth parted in shock. AJ's eyes widened. The crowd erupted even more so than they had before. The Shield chuckled.

She hit the Cross Rhodes and pinned the monster, looking right at the Divas Champion with narrowed eyes. Cody and Dustin were already running down the ramp with grins on their faces when the referee's hand slapped the canvas for the third and final time, and the bell was sharply rung. They wanted to wrap her into a hug and congratulate her – only that wasn't an option. It wasn't an option because she had dived through the ropes and was beating AJ against the barricade.

"You do _not _talk about my boys! Do you understand me?" Allie screamed, shoving against Dustin as he dragged her off the barely conscious woman. The crowd was still screaming – both with excitement that the Rhodes family had their jobs, and also that the newest WWE employee had beaten AJ to a pulp. Cody attempted to calm her down, though there was no mistaking the proud and amused smile on his face. "You hear me? If you _ever _talk about them again I _will_ come after you. Do you understand?"

"Calm it down, Al. Calm it down. You _won_. You're in the WWE," Cody stated, his words getting slower though more excited as he waited for the realization to sink in. Dustin released her when he was sure she wasn't planning an attack, and that she was only silent due to the shock. They grinned and wrapped her into a group hug when clarity washed over her face. "You did it, baby! You did it!"

"Oh my God!" she squealed, before repeating the words slowly and in more shock of the situation. Her brothers had their jobs back. She was a Diva. _She was a Diva_. Dustin grinned at her when they let her go, and she stared out into the sea of standing fans. They were getting a standing ovation. _She_ was getting a standing ovation. "I'm… I'm a Diva?"

"Yes, Pod, you're a Diva. The best Goddamn Diva this company has ever seen," Dustin informed her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder as Cody wrapped one around her waist as they made their departure. She thanked and touched the hands of each fan that reached out to grab her. It was like a dream. It was like the best dream anyone had ever had – only it _wasn't _a dream. This was real. _This_ was her reality.

Punk grabbed her as soon as she walked through the curtain, twirling her around and around as he exclaimed how amazing she was. The boys were quick to follow with a hug. She released them only to hug her parents, and then grabbed their hands with a fond smile.

"I think this calls for a celebration, don't you Judith? A celebration dinner on us," Dusty informed them, a beaming smile on his wrinkled face. Allie was about to object to his generous offer when Cody wrapped a hand over her mouth to silence her. Eventually they convinced her that it was not such a bad thing, with Punk being the major component in her agreement. His reward was going out with them.

AJ scowled as she hobbled through the curtain, flanked quickly by an unhappy Tamina – who looked like a wounded dog when AJ briefly set her glare on her. Allie only smiled and walked past her when she opened her mouth to speak – grinning even more when Punk quickly followed her.

She could already tell that this career was going to be fun. And messing with AJ would be one of the many highlights.

* * *

"I swear to God you are on your way to Hall Of Fame," Punk insisted, putting a hand on his heart mockingly as he stared at Allie intently. She shook her head profusely, smiling despite herself. Punk caught the mouth twitch and pounced on it immediately. "See – even _you_ know it. Don't be so modest, Al. You're going to be the best of all time."

"I've had _one_ official WWE match, Philip. I don't think we can look that far into the future," she replied, looking up to see the grin from Dustin as he kicked her under the table. She rolled her eyes with a chuckle and twirled her pasta around on her fork, pausing to speak her words before taking the bite. "But don't you mean the best in the _world_?"

"That's funny, Allison. Really, _really_ funny," Punk replied sarcastically, narrowing his eyes at her mockingly. She swallowed and poked her tongue out at him, before looking over at the boys adoringly. It was way past time for bed, what with it being almost ten o'clock at night. Punk saw what she was about to do before she spoke, and he interrupted the oncoming words with a grin. "Hey Dustin, you know how Allie never goes out and has fun anymore, because she's a responsible Mom and spends all her time with the boys? And you know how she never does things for herself? Well I was planning on taking her out dancing tonight for a bit more celebration, so do you think you could possibly take the boys off her hands for a couple hours?"

Dustin grinned.

"What an _excellent _idea, Punk. I love spending quality time with them. I'd be more than happy to bring them back with me," Dustin replied, the duo sending pointed looks in her direction. Cody smiled in spite of Brandi's disapproving stare. Allie rolled her eyes at both of them as she finished off her drink.

"Fine, we'll go – but don't think that ganging up on me in the future is going to get you anything you want," Allie informed them, giving in with a smile. Punk could always make her do things she wouldn't necessarily take part in – clubbing and drinking heavily the biggest activity that she generally distanced herself from. And even though Phil was this big 'Straight-Edge-Superstar' he didn't mind it when she got drunk off her ass. He would simply act as her bodyguard for an entire night. "_And _you still need to teach me how to use Twitter, Philly."

"I'll teach you tomorrow, how about that? An hours session of Twitter learning?" he asked her with a chuckle, slinging her bag over her shoulder as they began to make their departure. She narrowed her eyes at his mocking tone before darting over to Mason and Finn, who were coloring in in their state of half-asleep-dom. They looked at their Mother in confusion.

"Momma's just going out with Uncle Philly for a while, so Uncle Dustin's going to take you back to the hotel. I'll see tomorrow, okay? Momma loves you," she told them, planting a kiss on each of their foreheads. They mumbled their own affections as she moved to peck the rest of their family. "Thanks Peb. I've been needing this."

"No problem. Just make sure that you stay _safe_, okay?" Dustin asked, grabbing his sister's hand. Something about the way he said 'safe' made her think that he didn't just mean not getting injured. She grimaced and almost gagged. Her brother talking about her sex life was not her favorite topic of conversation – _especially_ when the rest of her family was seated around the table and hearing each word that was exchanged. She wacked him on the arm playfully, and began to walk away – not even turning when he called the words, "Promise me, Pod."

"I _promise_, you big goof," Allie called back with a grin, linking her arm through Punk's as they exited the restaurant. She could see the boys through the window, heads resting on the table as they fell into unconsciousness. She quickly sent Dustin a text reading, **Hey idiot, look over at the kids you're babysitting. Anything look out of place? Anything look like their Mom is considering not going out tonight because you're letting her boys fall asleep on the dinner table?**

The reaction of panic on his face made Allie laugh, the text she received making her grin even more. **Sorry Pod, my bad. Won't happen again. Have fun tonight, and stay SAFE. :)**

Allie rolled her eyes as she climbed into Punk's black SUV, turning her phone slightly so that it could face Punk and he could read the messages exchanged. His mouth brightened into a smirk, and a chuckle escaped his lips. Allie resisted the urge to smack him as they sped off into the night, towards whatever club Punk thought best for his Allie to let loose in.

* * *

"I still maintain that I am the _best_ dancer in the world. Best in the world!" Allie insisted as she made her way back to Phil, slurring her words slightly through drunkenness. Punk laughed as she sat down in the booth chair opposite him, her fingers tightly grasped around a beer bottle. He couldn't help but smile at her state. Allie was so… relaxed when she was drunk. It seemed that while consuming copious amounts of alcohol the part of her brain that worried about everything went numb. It was fun watching her go wild on the dance floor – something that she had spent the last hour doing.

"Yes Allie, you're the best dancer in the world," Punk agreed in a mocking tone, though her usually sharp senses were too blurry to pick up on his sarcasm. This wasn't his favorite Allie. Not by a long shot. No, his favorite Allie was when she was at peace – not necessarily relaxed, but at peace – with the world around her. When she wasn't angry, or vengeful, or bitter. That was _his_ Allie.

And his Allie hadn't been seen much in recent months. It was either Angry Allie, or Drunken Allie. He preferred the latter if he had to choose one.

"Come dance with me, Philly," Allie begged, grabbing his hand and pulling him up before he could answer. She motioned for the barman to bring her another drink, though Punk signaled to dismiss her request. He had been the one buying them after all, considering the fact that this was a twenty-one and over club, and he had only been able to get her in because he was CM Punk, WWE Superstar, and they didn't question his motives. He liked the perks of being a Superstar, he did – he just didn't like the constant special treatment. Sure, being allowed into clubs and getting free stuff was always a bonus – but he could get away with murder if he wanted to. And there was something about that fact that just didn't sit right with him.

"Allie, I can't dance. You know that," Punk reminded her, though allowed her to drag him across the room and into a crowd of people. Allie could always make him do the things that he wouldn't necessarily do – partying and socializing being one of them. Granted, they weren't really socializing at this point in time with anyone but each other – but she could get him to do it all the same.

"Just because you can't dance doesn't mean you shouldn't, Phillip," Allie informed him, grinning up at him, the smile reaching her bright green eyes. From that moment on Punk was weak to her every word. He would do _anything _for those eyes. If he were told to jump off a cliff while she stared at him with those eyes, he would have no problem in doing it. It was dangerous for him to follow a part of her body so religiously – but he couldn't help it. They were the eyes that shone through the darkness in his nightmares.

As soon as she found an appropriate place for them to dance she stopped, dragging Punk to a halt beside her, and began moving. He couldn't help but watch her as she grabbed his hand and they started spinning around, not matching the grinding style of the couples/strangers around them in the slightest. Even when the song changed numerous times to more upbeat ones they continued spinning each other, going under each other's arms, and then somewhat slow dancing to Timber. She belted out each song lyric as they danced, making Phil grin.

Almost half an hour of their goofing around passed, and by that time Phil was not only half deaf, but he was also exhausted. Unfortunately the alcohol had fuelled Allie, and by the time Phil admitted defeat and sat in a booth, she was still buzzed. The vibration from her purse that he had grabbed from her alerted him that they had been in the club for almost four hours, and he was forced to answer Dustin's frantic phone call of her whereabouts outside the building. Allie had barely even turned her head when he informed her where he was going.

"Dustin, relax. We're at the still at the club, and Allie's fine," Punk insisted as he leaned on a street lamp, ignoring the squeals of delight by some nearby fans. He loved his fans – he just didn't like them. They all seemed to think that they were entitled to his attention and adoration. Dustin continued his fretful words, and Punk sighed, barely able to interrupt him. "Yes Dustin she's drunk… no she's not with anyone… Dustin… dude… Dustin she's… Dustin…"

Allie continued to below the chorus of Talk Dirty by Jason Derulo, closing her eyes in an attempt to lose herself in the song. She stumbled to the bar after it passed, and smiled at the barman adoringly. He froze, eyes going wide as the stunning girl plopped herself onto a stool and started playing with a discarded nickel on the counter. She sighed, knowing that Phil had her purse, and a nickel wouldn't buy her a beer. Not that she would get a beer even if she had money, as her ID not only stated that she was too young to be intoxicated, but also too young to be in the club at all.

"Why hello there, beautiful," an unfamiliar voice greeted, and Allie turned. It was some college jock looking for an easy bang – she knew that simply by the reeking smell of Axe Body Spray radiating off him. She resisted the urge to gag at the overpowering smell, and turned around once more. "My name's Caleb. What's yours?"

"I'm sorry, but I'm here with a friend, and he'll be–" she began, attempting to politely decline what she assumed was a disgusting offer at spending the night with him. Even _if_ she were interested, she wouldn't choose Caleb. Not only did he seem like an arrogant, self-entitled bastard already – but his hair was slicked back so tightly he looked like a bowling ball. His buddies behind him smiled and chuckled as he interrupted her, placing two fingers to her full lips.

"We saw your friend outside a while ago, and he didn't look like he was in any hurry to get back. Come on gorgeous, spend your time with a couple of _real_ men," Caleb replied, attempting to smile sweetly at her. She swatted his hand away sharply and tensed, glaring at him with furious green eyes. _Where is Punk?_ she wondered desperately. "Hey, hey – calm down. We're not going to do anything shady, we just thought we could hang out for a while. My place is just a five-minute walk from here. How about you get your pretty ass up and come with us?"

"How about you fuck off?" she spat sourly, suddenly completely sober as the adrenaline that was running through her veins replaced the alcohol in her system. Caleb smiled, and reached for her wrist. Allie didn't hesitate when she raised her fist and punched him, sending him stumbling backwards to be caught by his friends. "I said _fuck off_."

"You bitch," Caleb said, grabbing his now bleeding nose, and shrugging off his concerned friends hands to raise the other palm in the air. She too fell backwards when his skin connected with her cheek, and she gasped as a pair of hands caught her. She looked up to see the person that saved her from falling on her ass, only to see a pair of nervous brown eyes. She quickly turned her head to see two men beating Caleb and his friends to a pulp, and she scrambled upright.

"You think hitting a _woman_ is okay, you coward? How does this feel?" the bigger man yelled, clearly audible despite the terrified screams of their fellow club-goers. Allie attempted to step forward and intervene, though the man who caught her pulled her back. She turned to look at him desperately, only to see an eerily familiar face. Seth Rollins. Which meant… which meant The Shield was beating down some horny college guy. Caleb was going to die. Allie pushed off his chest and ran towards the brawl, barely making it through the sea of people attempting to exit the club.

"Stop! Stop it!" she yelled, shouldering her way past one of Caleb's fallen friends and making her way to who she presumed was Roman Reigns. She pulled on his shoulder frantically, resisting the urge to yelp when he turned and stared at her. There was so much anger in his eyes. So much blind fury. She swallowed as she pushed him away from Caleb, though didn't hide the fact that she purposely stood on Caleb's fingers when she put distance between them. "I hit him first. It's fine. Thank you for standing up for me, but I'm fine. He's had enough."

"But he–" a voice behind her attempted to interrupt, but Dean's raspy voice was cut off by Phil's.

"Allie? Allie – where are you?" he yelled desperately, his head barely above the scrambling crowd. She gave Roman once last pleading glance before she ran to Punk, wrapping her arms around his torso as they joined the exiting people. "Thank God, I was – what happened to you? Why is your cheek so red?"

"Don't worry about it Philly, lets just get back to the hotel," Allie insisted, looking over at where Caleb's fallen body was. She breathed a sigh of relief. The Shield was gone. They had listened to her and left Caleb alone, and she was glad. She couldn't wait until the police were called and Caleb had to face questions. He couldn't press charges unless he wanted to be asked why they were beating him up in the first place – and not many people would be willing to admit they were taking advantage of a drunk girl. She was certain that Caleb wasn't one of the few.

But then again, she had been certain that The Shield were awful people – what, with them attacking her brothers numerous times at Triple H's request. And awful people didn't usually come to the aid of a girl that had the same last name of the people they were attacking.

She shoved that thought aside, however, as Punk helped her into his car. She didn't want to vomit in his brand new SUV. She didn't want to vomit at all, though if she could resist doing it in an object that Punk adored, that would be a bonus.

He had to pull over three times so that she could vomit on the side of the road.

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**Sorry for the wait! Goddamn flu. Anywho, thanks for reading! Hope you have a great day! xx Jess**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hiya – just a quick note: I'll be putting direct times and places at the start of some of these segments/times, but I may not end up remembering doing them for all so I'm hoping you'll just get the general gyst of the timeframe if there isn't a specific one, and please just go with the flow of wherever you think the place might be! Okay, hope you enjoy the story! And thanks for reading :) xx**

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**Chapter Five. All too well.  
**

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**11.30 am – Seattle, Arena Training Room.**

She jumped on his back with a grin and chuckle, wrapping her legs around his torso and her arms around his neck. It only took him a few moments for him to go weak at the knees and for him to collapse on the canvas, gasping for breath as unconsciousness threatened to consume him. She frowned slightly, patting down his disheveled brown hair soothingly as he began to gradually compose himself.

Cody was her best opponent to try out new moves on, and she was the best for him. Granted, Dustin had been in the business longer, which meant he had more experience and knowledge – but there was something about his and Allie's in ring chemistry that lacked momentum. It was like he didn't want to hurt her. And while Cody _definitely _didn't want to hurt his younger sister, it was easier to take out their annoyances on each other in the ring, rather than out of it.

So they used every opportunity to beat each other up that they could get.

The hang over had come and gone fairly quickly for Allie, who usually called in sick to work and spent entire weekends lying in bed and moaning after a night of partying. But not this time. It was like the WWE had changed her. It was like it had taught her to be stronger than she already was health wise – and even though it was only Sunday, and it was only her second official day as a WWE Diva, she felt different.

"It's okay, Codes. It's just Allie. You're in the gym. You're not in the arena," she informed him softly as he blinked the glaze from his eyes, and she smiled down at him sweetly. She knew it was one of his fears: to be knocked into unconsciousness during a match, and then to wake up in front of the WWE Universe. Maybe it was a remaining part of his Dashing gimmick that made him so conscious about public humiliation, but Allie didn't question it. She understood.

After all, she had a fear of falling off the top ropes during a match. Yes, that was a fear that almost _all_ wrestlers had – and considering the fact that her style was generally high-flying, she shouldn't be afraid of falling – but for Allie, it was a terrifying thought. Not for the embarrassment, but for the injuries. Sin Cara had fallen off during a training session a few years back and was on rest for six weeks. Allie couldn't _afford _six weeks.

Literally. Her bank account was almost empty. She desperately needed the check from the diner – the one that her boss was not happy that she left with such little notice – and the check that she would get at the end of the week from the WWE. For the time being Dustin paid for her and the boys' meals, with Allie promising to pay him back as soon as she had the money.

She was so sick of having no money – because she worked her ass off to get the money that she was owed. Her boss had once delayed her pay for two weeks because he didn't feel that she earned it, and she and the boys had had to spend almost all of that time with her parents. That was one of the reasons why she wanted to be a Diva. There were six's in their three-digit paychecks instead of a number that barely scraped one hundred.

"Thanks Al," Cody murmured as he grabbed the back of his skull with one hand, allowing Allie to pull him up with the other. She patted him on the back heartily before moving to grab their water bottles, and handing one to her sweat-covered and shirtless brother. He chugged down half of the liquid before giving his advice in their comfortable code, which consisted of a few words for each point that needed to be covered. "Three more seconds, tighter hold on waist, shift arm slightly left."

"Bend opponents wrist, push their legs out, lean your back into it," she informed him for his previous move set, taking another sip of hers. It was times like this that people couldn't believe that they weren't nearly as close as Allie and Dustin were. They understood each other so well. They responded to each other so well. They were the making of a dream tag team – though until they stopped finding everything the other one did _so_ annoying, there was no chance they would become a permanent tag team on screen. After all, it was hard enough to get Cody and Dustin to work together well because they despised each other. "Oh, and ankle twist in the third transition. It would make it unbearable."

"But I need to focus on the arms more for me to distribute my weight to their wrist, don't I?" he asked, wiping the layer of liquid from his brow. They had been working out in the ring for almost three hours straight, meaning that he was near ready to pass out. Allie, however, looked wide-awake and eager to continue. She shook her head at his words, and rested a hand on her exposed hips.

"If it's just the wrist then they can use their legs to shuffle across the ring. I'm telling you, Codes, one hand bending right wrist, one twisting left ankle, sit on lower back. It works _every_ time," she replied, patting him on the shoulder as he nodded at her words. He had taught her a lot of moves in the beginning of her training, and she had learned all of them almost instantly. She had then dedicated all of her time to watching every wrestling tape, wrestling show, – foreign or home-based – and had watched every match the top stars had ever had to learn their moves. When she perfected them and put her own spin on them, she had immediately taught them to Cody. Of course, their training together had subsequently ended when… when the incident that caused them to hate each other occurred. She saw what was going through his mind, and quickly looked away. "So, do you want to try another one that–"

"Pod! Pod guess what?" Dustin called, entering the gym in torn jeans and a loose shirt. Allie turned her head with a smile, tugging Cody over to the ropes with her to grab the documents in their eldest brothers hand. Cody rifled through them in confusion, and Allie peered over his shoulder. Dustin smirked, and walked up the steel steps to stand next to them on the apron. "Stephanie just signed the papers that makes you our manager. Tomorrow night you'll be coming out with us and standing ringside for our return match, and then we'll both be ringside for yours. Apparently your diner boss has decided that you don't get the pay you earned, so I called in a couple of favors. Managers that double as wrestlers get three _hundred_ extra bucks, and get their paycheck on Mondays rather than Fridays. You're back on track, baby. You can take care of those boys until next Monday, when you get the full paycheck instead of only manger ones."

"I'm going to be the Brotherhood's manager?" Allie asked with raised eyebrows, a smile playing on her lips. Dustin grinned at her, and moved to grab the papers from Cody – who immediately pulled them out of Dustin's reach. Allie saw what was going to happen before it did, and pushed her older brothers back gently. "Hey, there is a pair of four-year-olds in the corner watching both their Uncles every move. We don't want to start a fistfight in front of them, now do we?"

Dustin scowled. Cody pouted. Allie smiled triumphantly.

"I'll see you at lunch later, okay? Codes and I are going to practice for another couple of hours," Allie informed him, moving so that she could put distance between her glaring siblings. Sometimes they didn't feel like a real family to Allie. Dustin and Cody hated each other, Allie and Cody were continuously pissed off with each other, Dusty and Dustin tended to be head butting at every corner, Brandi didn't talk to anyone, and Judith was the one that kept the peace. Allie wondered quite frequently where they would be if Mason and Finn hadn't come into the world, and forced them all to come together in support for Allie, and bond over their love for the twins.

_Probably still at loggerheads,_ Allie concluded as she flashed another grin at Dustin, the smile coursing through the forest of green in her eyes. He couldn't argue with her after that. Punk wasn't the only one that fell for whatever those eyes told them to. Anyone who met Allie would do whatever she said – no matter how horrible – just to see that beautiful gleam. Allie didn't know she had that much power over people, though.

If she did she would probably freak out.

"Come on Codes, let's lock up," Allie suggested when Dustin didn't reply, yanking on Cody's hand to pull him into the middle of the ring. Dustin reluctantly retreated, going to sit with the airplane-playing toddlers on the floor of the gym as their Mother began a battle with her brother. Dustin sighed. He wished he and Allie had that much chemistry in the ring. He didn't like it how her and Cody were able to bond over moves, while he was stuck playing babysitter. It wasn't fair. "Okay, bend wrist, push legs, ankle twist, and lean into it. Got it?"

"Got it. Tap when it starts to hurt," he requested in a challenging tone, smirking when she nodded. That smile quickly vanished, however, when Allie managed to maneuver out of the hold he had put her in and put him into The Cross Rhodes. A move that was originally hers. A move that she had let Cody throw into his arsenal. A move that Allie was the best in their family at.

* * *

**1.58 am, Seattle Hotel Room.**

"What's the difference between roast beef and pea soup?" Phil asked her abruptly, grinning from ear to ear as he stared at his iPhone. She looked up from her sketchpad with furrowed eyebrows, wondering silently how he didn't see the vastly different components of each substance. It was only when she saw the smirk that she knew where he was going with this. Phil was the King of embarrassing Dad jokes. Allie been forced to listen to them for the majority of her life. He chuckled as she released a loud groan. "Come on, Allie. What's the difference between roast beef and pea soup?"

"Philly, I don't–" Allie began, though was interrupted by the punch line.

"Because anyone can roast beef!" Phil exclaimed, slapping his leg as he let out thunderous laughter, but quickly stopped when she threw a pointed glance at the bedroom door. Allie rolled her eyes, though smiled despite herself. Phil did not have the funniest jokes in the world – that was obvious – but he _did_ have the funniest reactions to his own jokes. He thought he was the funniest person in the world. Allie would sarcastically nod when he stated that 'fact'. "Oh come on, Al. Don't be such a party-pooper. That was hilarious."

"Sure you are, Philly, sure you are," Allie replied as she stood, rubbing his shoulder as she made her way to the kitchen to grab a tub of ice cream for them to share. The lights from the opposite hotel building seeped into her hotel living room, and Allie sighed at the clock the secondhand light lit up. It was two in the morning, and there was no sign of sleep approaching within either of them. She couldn't _really _complain though. She did enjoy having Phil as her insomnia buddy. It made her feel like her time wasn't wasted. "So are you ready for tomorrow – or today, should I say? Peb's getting really antsy about facing the Shield with you guys, but Codes is all 'macho' and 'prepared'. How do you feel?"

"God Al, you're not _my_ manager. You don't have to worry about me," Phil grinned, stretching out on her hotel couch. There was a pang of disappointment in his tone. Allie didn't miss it. He was excited that she got to manage her brothers, he really was – he had just always thought when she became a professional wrestler they would be a package deal. Punk and Allie. It seemed like a better fit to him rather than her being with Goldust and Cody Rhodes, though he said nothing.

But Allie – being Allie – decided to confront the issue head on, and dropped the ice cream container that she was holding back into the fridge she had previously plucked it from. She sighed as she made her way over to him. She leaned on the back of the couch when she reached him and tilted his chin with her fingers to face her, forcing their eyes to meet.

"Philip, I don't know how many times I have to tell you this, but I will again: it doesn't matter whether I'm your manager or not. I'll _always _support you. I always have, and I always will," Allie informed him fiercely, absentmindedly rubbing the stubble on his cheek as she spoke. He breathed a sigh and leaned into it slightly, closing his eyes and letting himself enjoy the soft and soothing touch. He almost yelped in surprise when she removed her fingers from his skin – though his fears of no contact were instantly silenced when she cuddled in beside him on the couch. "You're always the person I cheer for, you know. When Peb does something to deliberately injure his opponent I boo him. Not you, though. I don't think I've ever booed you."

"You're so good to me," he informed her softly, patting down her brown curly hair with his closest hand, and running his other over his own head as he leant it back on the neck of the couch. He sighed once more, and his eyes closed again. "I don't know why you're this good to me, Allie. I really don't. I don't deserve it. Your forgiveness, your trust, your loyalty. I've never _earned _it – you've just always given it to me. Even when I've done horrible things to people in or outside the ring, you've always been the person that can yank me from the edge and calm me down. And it's not… it's not _fair _to you at all. You deserve better than to have me in your life. You should have someone who treats you like a Pr–"

"Princess? Philly, you've known me long enough by now to know that I'm no Princess. I'd be the cowgirl of the entire Kingdom by the time I was done," Allie interrupted with a forced smile, not liking where he was taking his little speech. She knew he had a weird mindset at the best of times. He never felt like he was worthy of anything, when Allie thought he deserved more than he got. She yanked the blanket off the coffee table and covered them both with it, snuggling into him even more once she settled back down. "Now come on. We need to get some rest before those two little monsters come bounding out of their bedroom and wake us up. Sleep tight, Philly."

"Sleep tight, beautiful," Punk replied without any hesitation, and Allie froze. He had never, _ever_ called her beautiful before. The biggest compliment she'd ever received from him was when he'd told her that she didn't look _that_ shitty that day. Granted, it was a joke – but his compliments had never been this… complimentary.

"Phil, what did you–?" she began, moving to a sitting position on the couch beside him. Her words were suddenly cut off as he crushed her to his chest, and forced her lips to meet his. She pushed against him immediately, eyes wide with shock. She had been pulled into a kiss many a time, but never had the other person had so much determination to keep her close to him – and _never _had she thought that this person would be CM Punk.

She attempted a futile crusade to maneuver her way off the couch. She could feel him smiling against her lips, his grin quickly turning into a movement to force her mouth open. It was not a pleasant experience. It was sloppy, and wet, and gross. She had never wanted to kiss Punk. She had never thought that he would want to kiss her. She heard him moan her name against her, and she gave one final, strong shove. He almost fell off the couch as she leapt away from him.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she shouted, wiping her now wet face. His smile faded into a frown of disappointment, and he attempted to grab her hands to reason with her. She jerked away from him again, pinning her back to the wall as she moved. "No – _no_. What the _hell_ is wrong with you, Phil? What were you – what are you – _what_? I'm… I'm going to… I'm going. Have a nice night Phil," she stumbled, moving towards the bedroom where her sons were sleeping. He attempted to grab her once more, a terrified look in his brown eyes. She almost tripped over herself as she slid into the dark bedroom with a gasp.

"You've done it now, Phil. You've fucking done it now. Lose the only good thing in your life. Good job. _Excellent_," she could hear him moan, and she almost felt bad. _Almost_. She hated it when he hated himself. Despite everything he'd just done, he wasn't an awful person. He was a pretty self-indulgent and selfish person – but he wasn't awful.

She locked the door behind her with another sharp intake of breath, ignoring the continued groaning noises that came from the other room. He hadn't _lost_ her. He'd just freaked her the fuck out. He'd just crossed the lines of their friendship and entered the boundaries where this kind of behavior wasn't reciprocated or appreciated. She crawled in between her boys with a shudder, smiling a weak smile when Mason turned to cuddle into her side, and Finn grasped onto her hand under the sheets. She turned away from the blinding lights of the opposite hotel and sighed, willing sleep to come.

Unfortunately sleep would not come. It came for Punk eventually, but not for her. Her unconscious hated her so much that it wouldn't allow this momentary escape from reality. Instead she spent the rest of her night attempting to make out the blurry words of the shouting coming from the opposite hotel until it stopped, and then began to overthink everything that had occurred – with 'over' thinking being the understatement of the century.

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**2.08 am – Seattle, Shield Hotel Room.**

"Do you ever wonder what it's like?" Seth asked abruptly, staring at his companions in question. Dean looked up from his computer screen and glared at him – having had to pause whatever television show or movie that he was watching on the internet when Seth had broken the silence. Roman didn't even bother to pause the television. He was attempting to tire out his eyes enough to make himself sleep. That was why every light in the room was on, and why the television brightness was on full blast.

"Do we ever wonder what _what's_ like, Seth?" Dean asked in a harsh and bitter tone, pointedly removing the buds from his ears and narrowing his blue eyes further. Roman rolled his own brown eyes and stretched out on the couch, letting his sore and stiff muscles move around a little. He glanced out the floor-to-ceiling window absentmindedly and then returned his gaze to the football on the screen – until an unfamiliar sight registered in his brain, and he looked back to study the scene with furrowed eyebrows. "Well?"

"Do you ever wonder what it's like for someone to have so much trust in you?" Seth asked, unfazed by Dean's sour attitude, his words still too mysterious and vague for Dean's liking. Seth sighed at the intensified glare he received, and turned in his chair. "Do you ever wonder what it's like for people to believe everything you say, even after all the horrible things we've done? Look, I was watching Allie in the training center the other day, and–"

"Allie? Do you mean Allie _Rhodes_? Are we talking about the same Allie Rhodes, Seth? Why the hell are you so fixated on this girl? She's some second-generation wrestler from Texas who is getting her career from her family. She's nothing special," Dean interrupted angrily, slamming his laptop closed as he stood with a suddenly furious huff. Seth looked at Roman for a little support, only to see him watching something out the window. He followed his gaze, lips parting in wonder when he saw what was occurring in the opposite hotel room. "And another thing, why the – are you listening to me? Seth? What the hell are you looking at? What are you–?"

"What are they doing?" Seth interjected with an amused tone, ignoring each of Dean's questions as he moved to stand beside Roman and watch. Roman, however, was tense. Seth smiled slightly as he guessed why. He was barely able to make out Allie Rhodes and CM Punk in the darkness of their hotel room, though their hotel room's lights made their faces slightly clear. She was resting her head on his lap, and he was patting down her hair comfortingly. Seth's grin widened as Roman balled his hands into fists. "What's the problem, bro? _Jealous_, are we?"

"Shut up," Roman replied angrily, not even looking away from the pair. Allie had frozen where she sat, barely even breathing. She moved on the couch after a few intense moments and Roman breathed a sigh of relief that she was alright – though his nostrils flared when he saw that she _wasn't _alright. When Punk grabbed Allie and crushed her to him, Seth grabbed Roman's shoulders immediately and pushed him down he attempted to stand. Dean moved to their side as he looked onto the scene like a housewife watching a soap opera. Allie was fighting against him. Punk wasn't letting her go. Roman was getting angry. "Let her go you son of a bitch."

"Roman, calm down," Seth begged him, looking at Dean worriedly as Roman broke his hold and stood. This was not their battle to fight – and even if they wanted to fight it, it wouldn't be appropriate to storm across the street and barge into their hotel room. Punk would undoubtedly attempt to punch one of them for their invasion of his privacy, and Allie was so unknown by them that her reaction wasn't something they could count on. She could join Punk in beating them up. She could run out of the room. She could call the police for breaking and entering – and The Shield didn't need any arrest warrants at this point in their career. "Dude, you need to–"

"Shut up, Seth!" Roman bellowed again, shoving against his friend as Seth attempted to lower him back into the armchair. Allie was pinning herself against the wall when Punk went for her once more, probably trying to reason with her. There was no reasoning with Roman, though. He was like a wild beast. Uncontrollable. Furious. They had just gotten that Caleb guy off her the other night – Punk would know that. She would have told him immediately. And he was going for her himself? That was despicable in Roman's mind. "Is she okay? Seth – look! Is she okay?"

"She's fine, dude – she's fine! Look, she's crawling into bed with her kids, okay? She's fine," Seth reassured, looking at the nodding Dean Ambrose with wide but grateful eyes. Roman still didn't calm down, though. He continued to shout and yell and knock things over for another two hours. They were sure he'd woken up everyone in this hotel and the next, but had stayed up with him until he'd worn himself down enough to crash on the couch.

Sleep was finally cast over their own bodies when Allie climbed out of her bed at five in the morning. They didn't catch it when she picked up their suitcases and carried her sons sleeping bodies out of the hotel suite. They didn't catch how Punk didn't wake up at all during her swift and silent departure. Though, they did wake up in time to see Punk rising from consciousness, and start dialing his phone frantically.

And by the look of his face, who he was calling wasn't answering.

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**Hey there again - just letting you know that reviews are greatly appreciated! Thank you so _so_ much for reading this and I am really hoping you like where I'm taking this! If not, just leave a review about how you want me to change it and I will take it into consideration (yes that was a bit of a hint there:)**

**Anyway, thank you again and I hope you have a great day!**

**P.S. I'm so upset that CM Punk didn't return as a surprise for this WrestleMania. Ugh. An emotional wreck.**

**P.P.S. Um, what the hell happened at WrestleMania? Gave away _the_ streak to a part-timer? Lost so much faith in the WWE for that. #UndertakerIsTheFreakingKing and #StephanieAndPaulYou'reTurningThisToShit**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six. Deliver It.**

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**10.23am, At The Arena.**

"_No_, this isn't a god idea. I'm telling you we need to drop this match before he beats that kid to death," Seth informed her, moving around in his chair uncomfortably – not liking talking about his stable-mates when they weren't around. He wasn't usually the person that would demand things from their bosses – but the crazed gleam that had lit up Roman's brown eyes, and the way Dean saw it as nothing to worry about, had convinced him that his habits needed to change for a brief period. "Stephanie, I'm not kidding around here. You didn't see him this morning. He stormed off to the gym at five am and has been there since. He was… he _is_ different when it comes to her. Angrier, more protective. We need to pull him out of this before he does some real damage."

"Are you suggesting that we drop this whole pursuit entirely?" Stephanie McMahon asked, her tone professional and clear. She regarded Seth without the usual venom or viciousness in her words, which she normally regarded his coworkers with. They had a comfortable business relationship, and a system at both parties getting what they wanted. Seth gave her personal information, Stephanie kept his jobs at higher security than others, and they both informed each other of every aspect of their joined manipulations.

Seth choked on his oncoming words, and she pounced on this moment of silence. She grinned, and clasped her manicured claws together in front of her.

"Seth, we don't expect you to understand what is _best for business _– but I, for one, expect you to understand that _we_ understand. This Rhodes girl is the key to our success at taking her self-entitled family _down_," Stephanie explained, pronouncing the words slowly for him, as if he was a child. Seth's stubble-grazed jaw clenched, and he refrained from glaring at the woman. She sighed happily, and turned her attention to straightening a stack of papers on her over-sized metal desk. "Besides, I'm sure that Mr Reigns can find other ways to amuse himself, rather than obsessing over a twenty year old single Mother that will never be interested in a man _eight_ years her senior. If I could make a suggestion, why don't you try getting him to speak to that lovely fiancée of his? Help them reconcile?"

"Don't bring her into this. You _know _how that ended – and you're side-stepping the question," Seth snapped, narrowing his eyes at the brunette beauty sitting across from him. She pursed her lips as she studied him, a disapproving twinkle in her corporate eyes. She may have a soft spot for the young wrestler – but that did _not _mean he could speak to her in such an unprofessional manner. She leaned forward in her chair, tilting her head to the side.

"So what _are_ you suggesting, Mr Rollins – if it isn't that we drop this pursuit entirely? Would you like us to leave Allison alone, for Roman's sake? Would you like us to drop an effort that has had _hours _of planning thrown into it?" Stephanie asked him, her voice becoming more threatening with each word. Seth's nostrils flared. "Seth, you know that I will always listen to you, but right now–"

"No 'but right now's – you need to listen to be in this very moment. I wasn't suggesting that we drop this pursuit, I was suggesting that you take this match we have against Punk and the Rhodes brothers _off_ the card tonight. And then… yes, then we should redirect who we are attempting to manipulate," Seth informed her, balling his gloved hands into fists in anger. Stephanie glared at him, her piercing stare full of fury. Seth continued, despite knowing how much trouble this could cause. "Look Steph, you haven't _seen _Allison. She's far stronger than she looks, and Roman's 'obsession' – as you call it – is _not_ an obsession. He cares about what happens to this girl – and I think hurting her is going to unleash something untamable inside him. You want a beast on your hands? A monster? Keep doing this, and you'll get one."

"Seth, I appreciate your concern for Mr Reigns – but there isn't much you should worry about here. Our team is handling this to perfection, and you are all playing your part beautifully. On the issue of having an 'untamable monster' on our hands, I know that our team can _still _handle that, if the struggle arises. We have tamed many Superstars in the past, and will tame many more in the future," Stephanie informed him, forcing a tight smile. Seth tensed in his armchair, glaring at the woman and her words. Stephanie's smile turned into a smirk. "Thank you for meeting with me, Seth – your intimate information is really aiding our efforts. Now if you will excuse me, I have a meeting that I should be getting ready for."

And with that, he was dismissed. She stood from her seat and smoothed her long gray skirt, plucked a bulging folder from one of her desk drawers and the straightened stack of papers, and exited the room. He continued glaring at the space she was formerly sitting in even when the clicking of her high-heels disappeared, only surfacing when the buzzing in his pocket started again for a second time.

"What do you want, Dean?" he asked into the cellphone, not even bothering to look at the caller ID before he answered. His voice had come out harsher than he had wanted it to, though Dean didn't seem to be fazed by his annoyance. Dean didn't really seem to notice many things, other than himself, these days.

"Dude, come down to the gym _now_. Punk just walked in, then Allie walked in – and Roman is going batshit crazy, bro. I can't hold him for long," Dean replied simply, hanging up the phone when more aggravated grunts echoed into their line. With a sigh Seth locked his phone and exited the office, running a hand through his two-tone hair as he jogged his way down the halls.

* * *

**10.23am, The Gym.**

"I saw what you did you son of a bitch!" were the words Allie was greeted with as she opened the gym doors, Mason jogging on her hip as Finn held onto her hand. Her eyes instantly widened as she saw the two men brawling on the floor, the larger man kicking the smaller man in the face. A shriek of pain echoed through the large room, harmonized by a loud fist-to-skin clapping noise as the attacker changed which body part he was assaulting his victim with. "Not so strong now, are you? Get up!"

"What the hell are you talking about – I've done _nothing _wrong!" Punk shouted from the ground, shielding his head with his tattoo-covered arms, attempting to plead with the crazed man beating him. Allie hurriedly lowered Mason to a standing position and shooed her boys into one of the trainer's direction. "Stop – stop it! Get the hell off me! Someone – get this lunatic off me!"

"What are you doing?" Allie shouted, her voice full of surprise as she pried her way through the unmoving crowd the altercation had garnered. She ran over to the pair, standing stunned for only a second when she saw Punk on the ground – before pushing Roman away. Roman glared at her angrily as he stumbled backwards, though the glance was brief as he lunged for Punk again, knocking her onto the floor. She heard gasps from everywhere – everyone concerned that the 'little' new Diva couldn't handle being thrown on her ass. She didn't care, though. She jumped back into the fray without hesitation, dragging Roman back by his shoulders and putting her hands up in surrender as she squeezed in between them. "He's had enough. Leave him alone, okay? He hasn't done anything."

"He hasn't – are you kidding me?" Dean bellowed from behind Roman, shoving his phone back into his pocket as he stormed towards the girl. Punk stood and grasped her arm, attempting to make eye contact with her for the first time since he kissed her. Allie shoved him off, glaring into Dean's furious narrowed eyes. "You're sticking up for this jackass? How stupid can you get–?"

"Don't talk to her like that," Punk growled, balling his hands into fists.

"Oh yeah? How should I talk to her then?" Dean asked sarcastically.

"I don't know Dean, but how about with a little more respect and–"

"Here we go – all about that respect _bullshit_. Don't you think that boobs for brains here can defend herself–?"

"I _said _don't talk to her like that–"

"Why not? Can't she handle it? I thought she was Allie Rhodes – _savior _of her family's jobs. Or is she just a skank, like everyone else says she is–"

"Allie is _not _a skank–"

"Then what is she? Teenage Mother? Sounds like a skank to me–"

"Shut _up_, Dean. You don't know anything–"

"Oh, and you do? All you know is what the inside of her mouth tastes like–"

"How do you know that I–"

"Lunged at her? Forced her against the wall as you made out with her? Made her _cry _in her bedroom–"

"I did _not _make Allie cry–"

"Oh yes you did. We saw it all–"

"You're lying – and I know you're lying because that's what you do. You manipulate people and–"

"_I_ manipulate people? Last time I checked _I _wasn't the one who leapt onto a girl just after a guy at a club tried to take advantage of her–"

"There we go – _lies_ again. I'm not even surprised–"

"No Punk, I'm not lying. Some college dude at the club we were at tried to take her home with his buddies, and you _know _that. Why do you think we were beating him up?" Dean shouted back, his raspy voice furious. His words echoed through the room, making their audience gasp once more. Allie tensed, continuing to avoid Roman's eyes as he studied her. She could see the guilt plastered on his face in her peripheral vision. She could see the faces of everyone in the gym turning to her in her peripheral vision, mouths hanging open in shock. Dean was one of them. "You… didn't tell him, did you?"

"No I didn't. But thank you, Dean, for revealing that to an entire gym," Allie replied sarcastically, glaring at the baffled Superstar in front of her. Of _course _she didn't tell Punk. Why would she? It would have created issues and anger that didn't need to come forth, and he would have been watching her like a wounded animal – just like he was now. She sighed angrily, ripping her arm away from Punk's grasp once more. "I don't need this shit. If anyone needs me, stay away."

Before anyone could react Allie had turned and was storming across the room, breaking her angry mask only when the boys reached for her. She smiled down at them sweetly, pulling Finn onto her hip and walking hand-in-hand with Mason. She was calmer as they disappeared down the hallway, finding their way to Dustin's dressing room as the boys refrained from asking questions as to why Uncle Punk had been beaten up.

It was only now that Allie registered the Total Divas cameras that had surrounded the Bella Twins, who had been watching the argument. And it was widely known knowledge that if anything juicy happened behind the scenes to _any _WWE employee and the company camera crew didn't pick it up, the Total Divas ones would lend them footage.

_Great_, Allie thought, stifling a groan.

* * *

**8.30pm, The Brotherhood Locker room.**

She tucked her exposed knees to her chest, watching the show play out on the television screen with wide and bright eyes. Dustin stood in the corner of their private locker room, applying gold and black face paint to his baldhead. Cody sat in the armchair, scrolling through Twitter on his phone to see what people were saying about him. Finn and Mason sat on the floor, pushing the cars over bumps in the carpet without their usual sound effects.

Everyone was silent. Unnervingly silent, though Allie didn't break it.

"And Del Rio goes for the pin," Michael Cole stated obviously, half-shouting as he tried to make the audience at home excited – which wasn't likely to happen, seeing as the crowd actually in the arena wasn't excited at all. When he reached the second count Dolph lunged out from underneath him, grabbing the ropes and clutching his stomach in pain. Alberto went for him once more. "And Del Rio again for the pin – wow, look at that counter! And Dolph Ziggler – one, two, three! Ziggler for the win!"

"Wow Cole, that was a physical match," Jerry Lawler said, unable to turn off the lack of interest in his voice. He was getting too old for this, and he didn't really want to be there. The crowd, at least, stirred when Dolph stood on the top rope and cheered at them. Allie smiled weakly as he jump down and did his little ass roll thing. He was quickly out of sight though as he walked through the curtain, leaving Del Rio to pick himself up and shout angrily at the bored crowd.

"Now to those of you who missed the earlier half of this show, this is what we saw," Michael said, smiling at the cameraman who was shooting his face awkwardly. Allie rolled her eyes as the video flickered onto the screen, all cut and pasted and muted in places so that at one moment Punk and Ambrose were in each others faces, the next Allie was pulling Roman off Punk, and the next Punk was shouting – with an idiotic echo on his words – in Allie's defense, and then the shot where Roman pushed Allie on her ass. She huffed angrily and stood, walked to the attached bathroom, and slammed the door.

"Have you talked to her about it?" Cody asked quietly, hearing the tap running and knowing he was safe to speak. Dustin understandably looked surprised that Cody was speaking directly to him, as they generally only communicated through their younger sister. Dustin sighed and put down his paintbrush, looking to the door and back at Cody twice over before he moved to sit on the couch opposite his brother.

"What can I say? She's pissed. She feels betrayed. She's confused about _why_ that little assrat kissed her. I can't do anything about it," Dustin replied, rubbing his hands together with another sigh. He felt truly helpless. Allie was his girl – the one _he _was supposed to protect from everything. And he couldn't even stop an unwarranted kiss. "I don't know what to do. We're going out there tonight with him, and I don't know how she's going to react. It's just… I don't…"

"You don't know what to do? I thought you two were the best of friends?" Cody asked sarcastically, smiling as Dustin's face fell. Cody had thought about saying something nice and calming – but what fun would that be? Besides, _they _were brothers, not friends. They didn't like each other like normal siblings did, and they hated each other more than sibling rivalry. It was a hatred that had festered and burned long before Allie came into the world – so why should he be nice? "Doesn't Allie _always_ know what to say when you're pissed off about something? Doesn't Allie at least _try_ to help you? Seems to me that _someone _puts more into your relationship than the other."

"Seems to me that you should shut the fuck up," Dustin replied sharply, pushing himself from the chair and walking back to his painting station. Neither of them had noticed the locker room door opening until they had finished what could potentially be their softest argument ever, and they both froze. "What the hell are you doing here? Get out – before she sees you."

"I'm not here for Allie, Dustin. I'm going to leave my apologizing until after the match we have – which is why I came here. We're on in five," Punk said in a weak voice, his words slightly nasally. He looked almost like he'd been crying – though neither of the brothers believed that could be true. Punk was all into his special effects and guilt tripping. "Look, I understand why I can't see Allie right now – but can I at least give the boys a hug? I love them just as much as you do."

"I seriously doubt that. Now get out. We'll meet you at the gorilla position," Cody informed him, moving so that the excited twins couldn't run to the man they were dismissing. If Allie came out of the bathroom and saw her sons hugging the man she currently hated she might break down. Or go crazy. Probably go crazy. "Did you not hear me? Get _out_."

Punk's nostrils flared, though he did as he was told. He would get back into Allie's good books one way or another. They would be best friends again. They had to be.

* * *

**8.30pm, The Shield Locker room.**

"You can do this, right? We can count on you?" Seth asked, ignoring the dirty look Dean was throwing him as the latter taped up his wrists. He was still furious that Seth had taken so long to reach him. Roman continued to stare at the floor, fists clenched, jaw tight. He currently hated himself more than the fans did. "Roman – earth to Roman. Snap out of it, bro. Can we count on you to do what needs to be done?"

"I pushed her over, dude. I shoved a girl who was just trying to help her friend," Roman replied, his voice sounding distant. His dark brown eyes were glazed over as he struggled to focus on the sharp edges of the chair Dean was sitting in. Dean rolled his eyes and began to lace up his boots. Seth shook his head and sighed. "I didn't even mean to, I just did it."

"Okay Roman, you need to listen to me: she fell on her _ass_. Did you hospitalize her? No, you didn't – so stop feeling sorry for yourself and get over it," Seth instructed him harshly, tugging gloves onto his hands as he stared at his teammate. "_Focus_, man, _focus_. I'm sure she's been pushed over a hundred times before – and will be pushed over a hundred times in the future. Get a _grip_."

Roman glared at him. Seth didn't seem phased, and continued as if he didn't know Roman wanted to punch him.

"We need you to do your job out there. We need you to have you head in the game. Stop thinking about what you did to Allie, and think about justice for her. You want Punk to get away with kissing her? You want him to stay unharmed, when he _forced _her onto a wall and stuck his tongue down her throat?" Seth asked, knowing exactly what he was doing. Roman tensed where he sat, letting the words sink into him. "We fight for justice, man. Allie deserves her justice. Can we count on you to deliver it?"

"You can count on me," Roman replied, his voice gruff and furious. Seth immediately smiled, patting his stable mate heartily on the back as they both stood. Dean smirked and tugged Seth's shirt, pulling them towards the door. They could each see the anger glazing over Roman's eyes. They could each see what he was planning to do.

And to say that they weren't a little afraid of him themselves would be a lie.

* * *

**Hiya, sorry it's been a while - I was on holiday! Anyway, thank you for reading, and I hope you liked it!**


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